One's Obsession
by LoveStories101
Summary: Casefile with a little more. When Bobby and Alex catch a case, it takes them through a time where the line between partners and something more is smudged almost past recognition. Dangers lurk where they never realized. Will the dynamic duo's relationship remain stable throughout the case or will things become even murkier? B/A Angst, Romance, and Eames' signature snark...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks a million to my beta, kensi54382,an awesome job! Hope you enjoy this! Please review! Update to come soon in my other stories as well!**

 **Also, *Disclaimer*! Dick Wolf owns CI and also material in this story is modified plot and storyline of content from the TV show Bones. I can't tell you exactly which episode because that may spoil just a few things! Haha:) Anyway, a lot of credit goes to the wonderful people behind the show.**

 **Season Set In: November of 2004, Season 4**

 **Spoilers: Maybe eventually**

 **Pairing: B/A**

 **Rating: T for now**

The lights on the stage illuminated the figure that walked confidently up to the microphone. With a charming smile, the young man scanned the room full of aspiring songsters. His fingers began strumming his guitar, stringing the tune to Hoobastank's "The Reason." As his smooth voice resonated throughout the club, he had the attention of all the women. He always made sure to put on a show for them. The women weren't the only beings impressed by his vocal talent, though. In the back of the room, at a table isolated from the rest near the stage, sat a sharply dressed man inspecting the talents that were being presented onstage.

As the song and the impressive performance came to an end, the young man smiled one last charming smile at the clapping audience. Waving his thanks, he turned to leave the stage, nearly running into the next performer, who glared with eyes full of hatred and anger. Smirking, the young man passed him and left the stage to get a shot from the bar. He was confident that after tonight he was going to be the next big thing, especially after a talent scout had witnessed a performance such as that one. He didn't realize how right and how wrong he was though...

* * *

Bobby stepped out of the black SUV with a deep breath. Glancing around, he saw a large house with an extensive lawn complete with fountains and a pool covered for the winter. With a sigh of frustration and dread, Bobby realized they weren't on home turf. This was politicians' ground they were intruding on. The sigh he heard to his left told him his partner was thinking the same thing. Sharing a look with Alex, Bobby lead the way onto the front lawn and under the yellow tape, flashing their badges when needed. Silently, the dynamic duo settled into their routine; Bobby found his way to the body and Alex spoke with the police and witnesses.

Alex saw the detective on scene standing with a snob-of-a-man dressed in a fluffy blue robe and flannel pyjamas, clearly having just crawled out of bed. Alex sighed tiredly.

"Me too..." she thought.

Except Alex had gotten ready, showered and dressed for work in her nice grey slacks and blazer with her dark blue blouse and navy heeled pumps. She wished she were in a bathrobe and slippers.

"Detective," Alex called, getting the attention of a tall brunette woman. The other woman nodded and excused herself from the important looking man's presence.

"Detective Eames," she greeted. "Mr. Branson is the mayor's brother-in-law. He said he came out this morning to get the paper when he saw something sticking out of the grass in the front gardens. His wife's away on business, and he's the only one in the house this weekend."

Alex nodded, thanking the detective before going to meet Mr. Branson. She wasn't looking forward to it.

While Eames exercised her people skills, Bobby kneeled near the grey, dull, winter gardens and the lifeless body that lay inside. His eyes reverently moved over the young man's corpse, his hands respectfully checking the littlest things. Less than a foot away was the young man's bodiless head.

In the midst of the aura of death and dark evils of the world, Bobby sensed a light shining through the cloud of darkness. He sensed another warm body with his and the cold one of the unfortunate man. Eames.

"Mr. Branson over there says he got back two days ago from Boston, where his wife is on a business trip. He said their gardener was hospitalized last month; old age and going senile," came Alex's voice and he felt her kneel beside him, latex gloves in hand if needed. "Find anything here?"

Bobby glanced over at her, pausing in his examination of the man's clothes.

"Nothing's out of place," Bobby said with a shrug, distractedly resuming his task of searching the man's pockets, having forced CSU away for him to do so. Alex raised her eyebrows incredulously at him.

"Yeah, other than his head," she said, watching him closely as he held up a brown leather wallet.

"Other than that," Bobby answered, nodding distractedly as he opened the wallet. Alex rolled her eyes and shook her head, standing up to walk around the body.

"Thomas Adamson, 23," Bobby recited, flipping through the wallet. "Credit card and cash...all here. Everything's in place. It wasn't a robbery."

Alex nodded, cringing at the sight of the results of decapitation. Across from her, Bobby slowly stood up, wallet still in hand.

"Are you ready?" she asked as Bobby gave the wallet to a CSU investigator.

"Yeah. Want to stop for coffee and breakfast on the way?" Bobby asked, peeling off the latex gloves. Alex cringed, glancing at the lifeless body. Bobby understood exactly what she was thinking.

"You'll be hungry once we get there. Come on," he said, smiling affectionately at her. The two partners left the crime scene and the body for the ME to take.

* * *

One Police Plaza

Bobby had been right. By the time he had made her stop to get coffee and breakfast scones and then drive to 1PP, Alex was indeed hungry. Sitting at their desks, they took out their scones and the packets of toppings provided by the little diner they had found a year ago. Now they ate at Sue's Diner all the time together.

Alex looked up at a distracted Bobby, smiling. They had been doing a lot of things together lately, even more than usual.

"Honey?" Bobby suddenly asked, shocking and confusing Alex as she struggled to come out of her reverie. What did he just call me?With raised brows, Alex looked down at Bobby's hands. He was offering her packets of honey for her scones. Relief flooded Alex and she briefly wondered why she had been so quick to think he was using that endearment with her. Smirking, she decided she would turn it into a light joke.

"Yes, Sugar?" she asked innocently, holding out packets of sugar. Bobby furrowed his brows in confusion, but Alex watched as realization dawned on his handsome face. An amused smirk replaced his look of confusion and he shook his head at her. Smiling, Alex placed the sugar packets down on the desk, took one from Bobby's hand, and dressed her scone with honey. After having prepared her scone, Alex took out her laptop.

"You suppose someone reported Thomas missing?" Bobby asked, taking a bite of his scone with a light crunch. Alex nodded, searching the missing persons' report on the screen.

"Here," she said, picking up her coffee as she leaned in to look at the picture. Bobby stood from his chair, abandoning his scone for the moment, and made his way to his 'spot.' His spot was located right behind his partner, Alexandra Eames, where he could lean over her shoulder, hold the back of her chair with his arm around her, be close to her without suspicion, and smell the sweet fragrance of jasmine and Alex all in the same moment.

"He was reported missing two weeks ago," Alex said, brushing her hair behind her ear. Bobby glanced over at her face. She was so close. He forced himself to focus on the case when Alex added, "the report was made by Matthew Sweeney, Thomas' neighbour."

Bobby nodded, looking at the screen before noticing the figure that stepped into view out of a separate office.

"Heads up," he whispered, letting go of the back of her chair and returning to his own seat. As he retreated to his side of the desks, Alex looked up to see Deakins making his way towards them.

"Okay, guys. What you got for me?" the captain asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Thomas Adamson has been missing for two weeks. His neighbour was the one that reported him missing. I've got an address for him now," Alex reported, sitting tall and pretty as Bobby watched.

"Okay. Pay the neighbour a visit. See what you can find and go on from there. I've got meetings this afternoon, so I want to be updated tomorrow," Deakins said as he was walking away.

"Yes, sir," the two detectives said in unison. Turning to Bobby, Alex picked up her scone and fixed him with a mock glare.

"I am finishing this before we leave," she demanded seriously, but she broke into a grin as Bobby laughed and nodded. Quickly, the two finished their breakfast and slipped their coats on before leaving the squad room with their coffees in hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Again, thanks to my awesome beta,** ** **kensi54382**. Please enjoy! Let me know if you like it by leaving a review! **

Queens, Apartment of Matthew Sweeney

Alex led the way along the sidewalk and up the few steps into the front porch of the small duplex apartment. A high-pitched buzzing reached their ears, coming from the door to the left—Thomas' apartment. Looking at each other with raised brows, the two continued on to the door on the right. Alex knocked the strong, hard knock of a police officer and they waited...and waited. Bobby's brows furrowed and he peeked around the side of the apartment. A car was parked there, so he must be home. Turning to Alex again, he silently told her to knock again. She did so with more force.

"Matthew Sweeney, this is the NYPD. Open up," she called, knock one last time. Turning to Bobby, she sighed in frustration. Bobby recognized the pissed-off look on her face. The look didn't completely dissipate when they heard the sound of a lock turning. The two detectives waited as the white door opened, revealing a tall blonde young man with ear buds in his ears. They could hear the music blaring from the buds; Bobby noticing it was classical music and Alex not giving a care at the moment. Upon seeing the visitors at the door, the young man smiled and pressed pause as he took the ear pieces out. He saw the pretty little blonde's annoyed look and smiled, almost shyly.

"Sorry, I had my music in," he apologized, gesturing to his ears. Alex nodded, still irritated but cooling off.

"Matthew Sweeney?" she asked, and the young man nodded. "I'm Detective Eames and this is Detective Goren from the NYPD."

Bobby tilted his head slightly and furrowed his brows when he caught the silent alarm that passed over Matthew's face.

"Yeah. Is this about Thomas?" Matthew asked, looking between the two detectives. He decided he didn't like the big one. He felt so uncomfortable under his gaze. The small, pretty detective gave him a nod and he decided he would talk to her.

"Come in," he said, stepping out of the doorway to invite them in. He quietly led them into the house, the annoying shrill buzz continuing on its tirade. The two detectives looked at the walls full of paintings and the tables full of sculptures.

"That damn alarm has been going off since Thomas disappeared,"'Matthew laughed dryly, clearly not finding any humor in it at all.

"You're good," Bobby said, gesturing at the artwork surrounding them. "The noise makes it hard to work though?" he asked, looking at an unfinished sculpture of a woman. Matthew shrugged.

"I just put on some headphones or try earplugs. No one's done a thing about it though," Matthew said irritably.

"How well did you know Thomas?" Alex asked, returning the focus from the art to the case. Matthew shrugged, shaking his head.

"Not very well. I just knew he was a wannabe rock star, and a personal trainer at my gym, the NYC Wellness Center," Matthew said, his hands in his hips. He scoffed, adding, "the only personal thing I know about Thomas was Fatty Patty."

Alex raised her brows, nearly smiling at the childish name calling.

"Fatty...Patty?" she asked, controlling her voice but a little amusement escaped. Matthew smiled when he thought he had the woman cop hooked on his charm. Bobby smirked at how wrong he was.

"Yeah. She was one of his clients at the gym. She started stalking him and being all creepy. One night she even came to his door. She started yelling and pounding in the door when he didn't answer," Matthew said, having the detectives' full attention, until the woman's phone rang.

"Excuse me," Alex said, answering the phone as she stepped away. Matthew looked at Bobby, who watched him intently and him feel uncomfortable again. The next minute Matthew spent avoiding Bobby's scrutinizing gaze, waiting for Detective Eames' phone call to end. It was a relief when she returned to Bobby's side, breaking Matthew's awkwardness and Bobby's amusement.

"Thank you for answering our questions, Matthew. We can show ourselves out," she said, touching Bobby's arm, telling him his fun was over. Matthew followed them to the door anyway, and watched as they walked away talking between themselves. They left him to the buzzing alarm.

"So who called?" Bobby asked, tossing his binder into the SUV.

"Rogers. She finished the autopsy..."

The car went silent as Alex drove past the apartments and back towards One Police Plaza.

"You were having too much fun in there," Alex finally said with a smirk, breaking the silence. Bobby smiled, turning to meet her eyes before she returned to watching the road.

"So...let's get this woman's information and have her come down for an interview," Bobby said, scribbling in his binder. Alex nodded, checking over her shoulder as she switched lanes.

"We can go to the gym and get lunch after," she said and Bobby nodded in agreement. He noticed Alex's disgusted look on her face. It was faint, and he was probably the only one able to detect it, but it was there all the same. Touching her elbow, Bobby silently asked Alex what was wrong. She answered with a smile, finding it sweet that Bobby could read her so well and he was truly concerned for her.

"Nothing is wrong, Bobby. This just happens to be one of my least favorite parts of the job." Bobby nodded in understanding.

"For what it's worth," he said, meeting her eyes with a slightly teasing look in his, "if it makes you feel any better, I am glad that I'm not your least favorite part of the job."

Alex smirked, glancing at him with smiling eyes.

"I did say it was _one_ of my least favorite, Bobby..." she teased. Bobby looked over with raised brows, observing her teasing smile and twinkling mischievous eyes. He struggled to keep a straight face.

"Ouch."

The Morgue

"Low amount of alcohol, and there were traces of marijuana. Your guy was also infected with E. coli, but obviously that didn't kill him," Elizabeth Rogers said, laughing lightly as she walked around the examiner's table with the detectives following.

"Part of his hyoid bone is shaved off. Someone slit his throat...but not with a knife. The lack of serrations on the bone tells me a knife wasn't the weapon used, or anything with a jagged edge for that matter. It was something very thin and fine. The impact of the fall the body took was what broke the neck, and before it was dragged to the dump site, the head had been attached."

Alex nodded, and both women watched as Bobby leaned closer to the body.

"Did you get his stomach contents?" he asked, looking at the neck of the head. Rogers met Alex's eyes briefly before sighing in mild irritation.

"Yes," Rogers said, shaking her head as she grabbed a pile of papers. "Chai tea, honey—" Alex felt Bobby's gaze on her, and like a magnet her eyes were drawn to his. He smiled at their memory of earlier that morning. "—and a throat lozenge."

When Rogers looked up at the two detectives, she was surprised to catch the two of them grinning at each other. They reminded her of two high school kids with crushes on each other, sharing smiles across the room and silently conversing between themselves as the teacher—her, in this case—droned on about the boring lesson. Except this wasn't science class, it was the New York Police Department and this wasn't high school, it was Major Case Squad.

When Alex saw the puzzled look on Rogers' face, she quickly sobered and cleared her throat.

"This is good. We can search for the most recent E. coli outbreak,"'she said after a beat, looking at Bobby and hoping he would jump in. Straightening from looking at the body, Bobby nodded. He began walking towards the door, ready to leave.

"Did you get those particles out of the vertebrae?" Bobby asked as he opened the doors to leave. Rogers looked at him exasperatedly.

"Detective, I have samples undergoing tests right now. That's all I have for you," she insisted, wanting him to leave her morgue. Bobby nodded, stepping through the doors and into the hallway outside.

"Thank you, Liz," Alex called back, her expression slightly apologetic but also willing the Medical Examiner to understand. Elizabeth waved it off, smiling lightly at the blonde detective that had to deal constantly with the frustrating puzzle that was Detective Bobby Goren.

Bobby awaited Alex in the hall and so she hurried out of the morgue. When she came through the doors, she was met with Bobby leaning against the wall. He glanced down at her with a half-angry look before starting down the hall. Alex watched with furrowed brows and eyes with smoldering embers in their depths. With a frustrated sigh, she quickly tried to catch up with him.

"Bobby," she called, silently asking him to slow down. He didn't, just ignored her and that pissed her off even more. "Bobby! Goren, slow down!"

Sighing loudly, Bobby stopped his quick gait and turned to look at her.

"What the hell was that?" she asked, more than annoyed with him. Bobby's face softened when he saw and heard her anger.

"Eames, it's not you. It's fine. I'm sorry, and I will slow down," he said too quickly and in one breath, making Alex stand still and put her clenched fists on her hips. Raising a brow, she silently asked him, "really?"

He turned away from her, shaking his head as the anger built up.

"Sometimes I wish you weren't my partner," he said, glaring into the wall. Alex stared at his back with her mouth open, ready to fire something back. But what do you say to that? Truth was, that had hurt Eames immensely.

"What?" she asked in disbelief, her look of hurt changing to one of anger again. Bobby turned around, his eyes raking over her and gaging her reaction.

"No, Eames. Not like that," he insisted, stepping closer to her as she folded her arms across her chest. Her face was full of anger and hurt. "Eames," he said, taking her shoulders in his hands. She didn't pull away and Bobby saw that as a good sign. "People think the worst about me...I...I just don't...want them thinking bad about you, too, just because of me."

Alex listened carefully, the anger slowly dissipating to leave just raw hurt. Her eyes drew Bobby in, and he saw the impact his words had on her. Their partnership was as important to her as it was to him. With a smile, Bobby lightly squeezed her arms in an affectionate gesture. Alex finally gave him a smile, and his heart did a flip at the beauty that was presented before him.

"You know you could give me a real hug. I promise I won't shoot you," she teased, referring to his light squeeze of her arms, though that was welcome as well; it was physical contact with him that she craved.

"We don't hug," Bobby teased her with a crooked smile. Alex laughed, already moving towards him.

"We can make an exception," she said as her hands ran down his chest and slowly slipped beneath his suit jacket, wrapping around his waist. Her touch left a trail of fire on his skin, but he craved more of it. He tried his best to ignore the feelings she gave him and enjoy the moment, but it was impossible. So he tensely wrapped his arms around her in a brief hug that she pulled out of, aware of his discomfort.

If only she knew that it wasn't discomfort he was feeling, but lack of control. He was far too comfortable in her arms with his body against her warm small, slender frame.

Alex smiled brightly before leading the way down the hall that led to the elevators.

"Are we good again?" Bobby asked, holding the elevator doors until Alex got in. He hit the button to take them back to the parking garage. The silence that followed his question made Bobby look worriedly at his partner. She was contemplating something, and the doors closed, trapping him with her.

"No. We're not," she said matter-of-factedly, looking up at him. Bobby looked down at her in confusion, silently asking.

"I don't care what others say about me," she said, her hands back on her hips. "And don't let a damn thing those idiots say about you go to your head. They don't understand what an amazing detective and wonderful man you are. They don't know you like I do. Understand?"

Bobby smiled sadly, his eyes showing the doubt still left in his mind.

"Understand?" she repeated more forcefully. Bobby's lips curled into a smile, a real smile this time. If Alex thought this about him, that's how it was. She wouldn't lie to him. Besides, her opinion was the only one that mattered. With a nod, Bobby answered her sincerely. For the time being, he actually believed it.

"Good," Alex said with a satisfied smile, turning to the opening elevator doors in triumph. "We're good now."

Bobby smiled, allowing Alex out of the elevator and into the parking garage first.

"Good. So how does Sue's sound for lunch too?" Bobby asked as they got into their SUV. Alex smiled brightly, starting the car and nodding. Her eyes met his and he swore his body melted into the seat.

"Sounds good, partner."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! I was camping for a week and couldn't update, but here it is! And another thanks to my amazing beta! Please enjoy!**

NYC Wellness Center

Alex met Bobby on the sidewalk after parking beside a grey building. The large building, once past the glass doors, opened into a large, expansive gym full of machines and equipment. The two detectives had to admit it was impressive, almost as good as the gym the NYPD officers trained in. Walking up to a front desk, Alex caught the attention of a tall red head sporting a casual flowing shirt and black yoga pants.

"Excuse me. Is the manager here? We need to ask him some questions," Alex said, pulling out her badge to show the wide eyed young woman. She seemed especially impressed by Bobby's identical gold shield, as well as every other aspect of him.

"Um...yes, Jason's here. Let me get him," she said, smiling widely as she moved away from the desk and walked into an office just steps behind it. Alex turned with a crooked smile, her hand on her hip as she leaned against the front desk.

"What?" Bobby asked, looking down at her in confusion. Alex laughed to herself. He looked quite adorable standing in his nice black suit and tie, blue button up shirt, and his large black overcoat to protect him from the rapidly chilling weather. His dark hair was slightly wind blown, and he had a slight shadow covering his cheeks. Scratch adorable, he looked down right sexy. Alex definitely thought so.

"Bobby makes all the women go crazy," she said in a teasing tone, though she definitely knew it to be true. Bobby looked at the door where the young woman had disappeared, shaking his head with a smirk on his lips.

"In one way or another," he replied, switching his binder into his other hand and rocking back and forth on his feet. "Which is it for you, Eames?"

Alex turned with her mouth open, stuttering on a reply. His knowing smirk didn't help her situation any as embarrassment settled in.

"Thanks, Eames," he laughed, nodding his head in satisfaction at her answer, in the lack of an answer.

"I did't say anything..." Alex stated, quirking a brow and the edge of her lips curling into a smile. The look of shock she gave him was still fresh in his mind. He would have that tell-tale look of shock she had given him in his mind for the rest of his life. He found great satisfaction that his partner found him attractive, and he hoped it was a little more on her part as well.

"You didn't, but the look in your eyes said enough," he said with an affectionate look that for once was meant for her to see. She felt herself starting to melt under his gaze.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Alex thought to herself, reprimanding.

But even as she thought it, a blush colored her cheeks and she had to look away from him. Luckily, the red head receptionist appeared again to save her from complete and utter embarrassment. Behind her, an African American man with a slight, athletic build left the office to see them. Alex didn't know if she could trust herself to speak yet.

"Good afternoon, officers," the man greeted, offering his hand to them. "I'm Dr. Jason Berg, the manager and owner of this center."

Bobby stepped forward first, shaking the man's hand.

"Hi. I'm Detective Goren, and this is my partner, Detective Eames," he said, taking a step back to let Alex shake the man's hand. As Alex shook his hand, her eyes fell on the woman standing next to him, the red head. The woman had to be in her late twenties, and her eyes were glued on Bobby. A pang of jealousy hit Alex, and suddenly she was feeling like an overprotective girlfriend. Jason Berg noticed the sliver of hostility coming from the woman detective, but he sensed the majority of it coming from his secretary.

"Jamie, why don't you leave the detectives and I to our business?" he suggested, facing the red head. The woman, Jamie, left without a protest, but Alex swore she saw a pout on her face.

Alex furrowed her brows. Was she always like this when a woman suspect or witness had their eye on Bobby? She desperately hoped Bobby hadn't noticed, but knew that he had with his skills in profiling and human nature.

"We can talk in my office," Jason said, leading the two into a small room consisting of file cabinets, a desk, and a computer. Two chairs were situated in front of the desk.

"Please, sit," Jason said, gesturing to the seats as he sat in his. Alex took his offer, but as always Bobby chose to stand and introduce himself to the surroundings.

"Dr. Berg, we are investigating the murder of one of your staff members, Thomas Adamson," Alex said, cutting to the chase. Jason's brows raised only slightly, but Bobby noticed the panic that passed over his face. Alex noticed as well, but didn't show Jason any signs of knowing.

"Damn...I had expected the worst when he disappeared, but...I had hoped desperately he would turn up. He's my most popular trainer, and since he's gone missing, I've had a lot of angry customers on my hands," Jason said, shaking his head. Bobby looked up at his chance to enter the questioning.

"Was Patty one of those clients?" he asked, sidling up to the desk to finally sit next to Alex. Jason looked up, nodding with a slight grimace.

"What's her real name? And can we get her contact information?" Alex asked, sitting forward in her chair. They were incredibly uncomfortable chairs.

"It's confidential..." he started, looking between the two slowly. Seeing the looks on their faces, he continued, "but this is a murder investigation, so I suppose I can give you her info."

Alex and Bobby nodded in approval, watching as the nutrition doctor swiveled his chair to face his computer.

"You asked about her real name; it's Patty Goodman. She started coming to Tommy's sessions in December, last year. She fell hard for poor Tommy, and it started to freak him out. I remember him telling me he felt like she was stalking him, but she never approached him outside of the gym," Jason said. Alex reached to scratch behind her ear as she glanced at Bobby.

"That's sort of what stalkers do..." she said sardonically, referring to his 'but' statement. Bobby smiled at the dry humor.

"Here's the information you asked for," Jason said, ignoring the detective's smart comment as he rolled his chair to his printer that jumped to life.

"Did Thomas have any family? A girlfriend?" Alex continued the questioning, waiting for the papers.

"No. He didn't have anyone. He bounced around in foster care all his youth, and he isn't dating, as far as I know."

"Thank you," Alex said, standing at the same time as Bobby, who gave a quick nod. Taking the still warm paper from Jason's hands, she added, "Is there anything else we should know?"

Jason looked skeptically at the woman detective. Was she threatening or suspecting him?

"No, I don't think so," he answered, looking between the two.

"Alright. Well, we'll be on our way. Thank you for your time, and if you think of anything else, here's my card," Alex said, handing him the card and following Bobby out of the office.

Alex immediately tensed as she exited the doorway, when a strong arm found its way around her shoulders. She turned her pissed off expression to the owner of the arm, ready to deck the man and cuff him. However, she was greeted with a face full of Bobby's coat, and his scent worked as a drug, subduing her. He smelled of manly musk and fresh pine, and Alex found herself weak in the knees.

"Bobby—"

Then she noticed the dirty look that Jamie, the secretary, gave her. Alex smirked when she realized what Bobby was doing, and she wrapped her arm around his waist beneath his coat and slid her other hand to his hip closest to hers. As discreetly as possible, she punched as hard as she was able to in her position. Bobby grunted, tensing up and tightening his grip on her. Alex smiled in satisfaction.

"Ass," she said under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear. Bobby just smiled at her as if the sweetest words had just passed from her lips, and she couldn't help but return it. Bobby only let her go when they reached the doors, where he opened one and held it open for her. As a rush of cold air hit Alex, she whirled around to face Bobby, her hair blowing wildly around her.

"I know. I owe you," Bobby said immediately, putting his hands in front of him for peace.

"Damn right, Bobby," she answered, taking a strand of hair stuck to her lips and tucking it behind her ear.

"How about I buy you lunch, huh? Or a milkshake?" he asked, walking down the sidewalk with her at his side. Alex shrugged with a crooked smile and looked up at him sweetly, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"And I'll even make the call to Patricia," he added, raising his eyes hopefully. Alex chuckled, shaking her head.

"No, I will be making that call," she said with a smile.

"Alright then...how will I make it up to you? Your wish is my command," he said with a charming smile, turning to face her then becoming distracted again by the sights on their walk to the SUV.

"Can I save that wish for a drink after this case? I have a feeling I'll be needing it," Alex said with a sigh, taking the keys from her pocket as they neared the SUV. Bobby smiled, opening the passenger door and climbing in.

"Yeah, me too," he said, looking to his left as Alex started the car and buckled her seat belt. "After this case I promise I will take you out for dinner and a drink. Sound good?"

Alex met his eyes, her hands poised on the steering wheel. Those deep brown depths of mysteries, puzzles, and knowledge stared warmly back at her. One look of his made her heart melt, burning straight through her and warming her heart. Every time he looked at her this way, he never failed to make her fall harder for him.

"Sounds perfect."

 **A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! I love feedback, good or bad! Thanks and next chapter to come soon!**

 **~Love**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am really enjoying writing this story and I hope you all enjoy reading it! Thanks a million to my beta, kensi54382! For without there would be soooo many errors. Please read and review!**

Sue's Diner

Bobby watched as Alex flipped her phone closed and slipped it into the breast pocket of her blazer. Bobby furrowed his brows. Thatwas unusual, she never put anything in that pocket. Besides, he knew the pocket was just something on the jacket meant for show. Bobby shrugged mentally and his mind switched gears. His eyes slowly began trailing over the curves her blouse failed to hide, and his eyes lingered there for a few extra moments. That was when Alex looked up at him, catching his eyes lifting to meet her gaze. The look of shock in her eyes made Bobby glance down at his salad in embarrassment, a blush slowly creeping up his neck.

Alex looked on in surprise. Had she just caught her partner staring at her breasts? Maybe she had spilled some of her soup on herself. Alex looked down, reaching for her napkin in her lap but stopping when she saw her shirt was clean. He had been looking. Alexawkwardly looked down at her soup, picking up her spoon and fishing out the potatoes then dropping them back in the broth. The silence slowly dragged on, awkward and alien. They weren't used to the silence being uncomfortable like this. Becoming impatient and uneasy, Alex cleared her throat.

"Um...we...we meet Patricia at the office in an hour," she said, finally chancing a glance towards her partner. Bobby nodded, having heard the entire conversation between Alex and the pending suspect.

Bobby watched as his partner's gaze returned to her food. Damn, all this because he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering. He'd always found her attractive, very beautiful. But he'd never been caught looking by her before. Only to himself would he admit that he often admired her very attractive body from afar, in secret. She was blood, flesh, and bone. Nothing fake about her, only natural beauty. She was damn near perfect in his mind, and he was so sure she was too high above him. What could he offer?

"Bobby, please say something," she smiled warily, plopping against the back of the booth seat she sat in. Bobby avoided her gaze momentarily, glancing out the window. He let out a laugh as something to say came to mind.

"That woman standing by the lamppost is dressed like a goldfish," he said as seriously as he could, but a laugh escaped because it was true, she was. Looking out the window with furrowed brows, Alex spotted the woman and immediately began laughing. She turned to Bobby and shook her head, trying to seem admonishing, but she couldn't stop smiling.

"Finish your lunch, Bobby, so we can get back on time," she chuckled, focusing again on her soup but with a smile and a warm feeling this time.

One Police Plaza

It was ten minutes until Patricia Goodman was scheduled to arrive. Alex turned back from the clock to face Bobby, sitting across from her. He had the case file in his lap, his leg was bouncing, and he was tapping a pen on the edge of his desk. He was restless. Alexsmiled fondly, shaking her head as she refocused her attention on her part of the file that she was re-examining. The sound of a squeaking chair brought Alex's eyes up from her papers. She raised her brows at Bobby as he stood, looking down at her.

"I'm going to go get a room booked and ready," he explained, putting a hand in his pocket as he took the file in the other hand and left with a smile aimed towards her. Alex smiled to herself as he turned his back. She knew she had fallen for her partner long ago, but it was becoming painfully impossible to keep those dangerous feelings at bay. She had thought herself capable of controlling her emotions and taking her desires, but it was becoming more and more obvious to her that she was attempting the impossible. Bobby influenced her strongly and he unsurfaced so many feelings from her, and, though she hated to admit it, that scared her.

"Detective Eames?" came a voice, intruding on her musings. Her glazed over eyes snapped to attention, and Alex looked up to the sight of an officer with a woman at his side.

"Oh..." Alex said, standing and gathering her papers quickly and gracefully. She looked at the officer. "Thanks, Davidson."

The man nodded and left Alex with the woman wearing a visitors' tag. She was a rather plump woman, on the edge of being obese, and stood taller than Alex by at least 8 inches. She had long brown hair that framed her cushy heart shaped face. She held a thick book, at which Alex furrowed her brows, and a black bulky purse close to her chest, folded in on herself as if she tried to make her size less intimidating.

"You're the detective that called?" Patricia asked, giving Alex a quick once over. "Detective Eames?"

Alex nodded, stepping around her chair.

"Yes. My partner, Detective Goren, is waiting for us in an interviewing room, Patricia. If you'll follow me," Alex said, leading the way to the room where Bobby waited. As they reached the door, Alex turned to face Patricia as she opened it.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked. Patricia shook her head as they crossed through the doorway and into the room. Her eyes immediately fell on the tall, handsome detective in the room, sitting at the table.

"Good afternoon, Patricia," he said as she sat across from him. Patricia watched as he scooted a chair out for the woman detective. She then saw his eyes fall on the book in her hands.

"What do you have there?" Bobby asked, nodding at the book. Patricia smiled, setting the book on the table.

"Oh, you said you wanted to talk about Thomas, so I brought this," she answered, opening the book. Bobby and Alex leaned in as they looked at the book's contents, raising their brows and glancing at each other. The book was a photo album, full of surveillance style shots of Thomas. If the stalking stories provided by Matthew and Jason weren't believable, there was no question of it now. This woman was obsessed.

"Patricia—"

"Please. Call me Patty. That's what my friends call me," she said with a smile, interrupting Bobby.

"Patty, these pictures...it doesn't look like Thomas knows you're taking them," Bobby said in his gentle voice. He had to be careful with people with this frame of mind. Patty laughed, waving it off. Bobby then added, "Like he doesn't even know you're there."

This got a rise out of her.

"No! He knows! In fact, we are getting married," she said in a voice full of confidence and surety. Bobby and Alex shared another look, and both decided it was Alex's turn.

"Patty, I don't think...Thomas is really your kind of young man. I don't think you are really his type, and he's not yours. There are plenty of nice—"

"Detective," Patty interrupted Alex coldly. "Tommy liked real women, the way they are. Even ones with a little meat on them. He didn't like..." she looked pointedly at Alex, "sticks in tight shirts and pants...skinny bitches..."

Bobby glanced at Alex, seeing the quiet fuming she was doing under her calm facade. Quite suddenly, Alex leaned forward in her seat, leaning on her forearms.

"Look...I was trying to make this easier, but you wouldn't hear it. Thomas was found dead this morning. Patricia, he was murdered, and we are trying to find out who did this to him. So it would make that easier for us if you would cooperate," Alex finished in a gentle but firm voice, looking Patty straight in the eye. Bobby watched as Patty's face crinkled and her eyes filled with tears.

"What? That's not true," she insisted, shaking her head and looking at Bobby. He nodded, folding his hands in front of him next to Eames' arms. He leaned forwards.

"Patty, where were you Friday, two weeks ago?" he asked. Patty took a breath and pulled herself together, seeming normal again.

"My parents' house in Florida. We were going over wedding plans," she answered. Alex sighed, looking down at her hands before meeting Bobby's eyes. This woman was so far into her fantasy that she had created, it was so ridiculous it was almost sad.

"Okay, while my partner checks your alibi, we are going to move to another room," Bobby said, getting up as Alex did. Patty followed them quietly out of the room and she watched as the two detectives shared yet another look before Eames separated from the group to go to the desks. Bobby continued towards the interrogation room.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Shout out to my beta, kensi54382! Hope you guys are enjoying this! I would appreciate some of your feedback about this, let me know how I'm doing guys! :) Reviews make my day! Also, the months or time of year might be off a bit from the show, but anyway again this is set in November. This case follows a bit after The Great Barrier. Enjoy! And please review!**

One Police Plaza

After forty-five minutes in the squad room, sitting at her desk, Alex still couldn't get a hold of Mr. and Mrs. Goodman, and the airport was taking its sweet time finding the list of tickets bought only two weeks ago to Florida. Bobby, after about 20 minutes of waiting in the observation room studying Patty, joined her at their desks. He had sat down and started reading a book on psychology and the human mind. Alex still had the phone to her ear when another body joined their party.

"Didn't I leave you guys here?" Deakins asked, surprising both detectives. "Please tell me you got somewhere on your case."

Bobby looked at Alex, still waiting on the phone.

"We have Thomas' stalker in interrogation...she's been in there for a while now, Eames..." Bobby said, hinting that they should begin the interrogating. With a sigh, Alex set down the phone, hearing the voicemail recording once more. She had already left a message or two.

"Okay. Let's go," she said, standing from her chair. The three of them headed towards the interrogation room, entering the adjoined observation room.

"Weren't you supposed to have meetings all afternoon?" Alex asked as she walked towards the window, her arms crossed. Deakins smiled to himself.

"Got out of them...for today. Besides, when the Captain's away, the detectives will play..."

Alex and Bobby shook their heads, smirking lightly.

"So, who is she?" Deakins asked, nodding towards Patty. During the wait, she had taken a bag of trail mix from her purse. Silently, she was sorting the ingredients into groups; raisins, m&ms, peanuts, etc.

"And what is she doing?" the captain added.

"Patricia Goodman...Thomas' stalker. She claims to be engaged to him..." Alex said, smiling amusedly at the smirking Captain. She knew he would find it a little humorous.

"And she is sorting the trail mix. Could be nervous and trying to get a hold of a situation out of her control, or—"

"Or she's bored," Alex interrupted, looking at Bobby with a smirk. "You can't be right all of the time...we kept her for a long time..."

"Who's fault was that?" Bobby teased, already walking towards the door.

"I didn't see you doing anything," she retorted, smirking. "You could have been in there already."

"It's not smart to be alone with her right now," Bobby explained, opening the door and holding up two fingers before disappearing into the hall.

"And you're going to do it anyway," Alex muttered, shaking her head as she turned back to the window.

"Two minutes..." Deakins mumbled, shaking his head as well.

Bobby entered the interrogation room, drawing Patty's attention to him. He offered a polite smile as he closed the door softly. He was already putting on his act.

"What's this?" he asked, sitting down across from her. Patty looked down and smiled shyly, innocently.

"I was bored," she answered softly, putting her best look of vulnerability on her face. "You kept me waiting for almost an hour."

"Sorry about that. We just can't get a hold of your parents at the moment," Bobby explained. Patty looked up in thought.

"They might be on a plane right now, I forgot it's their anniversary tomorrow. They left today for Spain..." she smiled. Bobby looked at her blankly. He could just imagine Alex in the other room, seething because of her wasted time. He was right about her anger, but she was actually already out of the room and heading towards the door to interrogation. When Bobby heard the door open, he sighed. It had only been a minute and a half. But he smiled as his partner joined him, whether he meant to or not he didn't know. He didn't miss the look Patty gave Alex, though.

"Patty," he said, regaining her attention, "tell us about your relationship with Thomas...as his stalker."

"I wasn't stalking him!" she exclaimed, and Bobby quickly back tracked.

"Right. You were his...guardian of sorts. You watched over him..." he said, watching as Patty nodded with her eyes lit. This man understood her.

"Yes, exactly," she said, completely calm again. Then she looked down at her wrist, smiling at the silver bracelet that was clasped around her.

"Tommy gave this to me. It has my name on it. He gave it to me after I gave him his gift; a gift certificate for a music store. I know he loved music..." she trailed off, going into thought with a love struck smile on her face. Alex turned to look at Bobby, raising her brows.

"What do you think?" her eyes seemed to say.

Bobby in turn raised his brows, silently asking her the same question.

"I don't know, what do you think?" his eyes glinted.

This annoyed Alex, having not answered the question she had asked first, and she glared at him. Glancing once more at the woman across from them, Alex returned her gaze to him, shaking her head with finality. Bobby smiled slightly, nodding in agreement. He and Alex then stood up at once, stepping around their chairs and rubbing shoulders—or rather shoulder and arm.

"Thank you, Patricia. If you'll excuse us for a moment," Alex said, leading the way to the door. Bobby lagged behind, looking down at the woman drowning in her fantasy. She was practically begging him to save her from it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said, slightly awkwardly, as it wasn't really her fiancé laying on the table in the morgue. It was all a lie; he was sorry for something that never was. Those five words and the few seconds he lingered meant the world to Patty, though. A new light filled her eyes and she watched with a smile as the handsome detective followed his partner out of the room.

Deakins awaited his detectives in the observation room, ready to hear the great insight the two always provided. However, he wasn't prepared for the immediate verdict.

"It's not her," Bobby said as he followed Alex into the room. Deakins looked between the two, Alex nodding her head in agreement.

"What? Why not? You haven't even looked into her," Deakins protested. "Maybe she knew she couldn't have him, and if she couldn't then she wouldn't let anybody else have him," the Captain suggested, looking at the woman behind the glass forced to wait again.

"Let's just say that this is one of those gut feelings," Alex said, scratching her brow as she looked at her captain. Deakins sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine. But I want her alibi checked still," he said, looking pointedly at the two. Bobby nodded.

"Patty is very possessive and overprotective. She is dangerous...unstable. She has to create her own fantasy to live a secure life," he concluded, his hands on his hips. "But she isn't Thomas' killer."

Alex nodded her agreement, meeting Bobby's eyes. Those brown eyes sparkled at her, a tell-tale of the smile he wanted to give her. The door to the observation room suddenly opened and a female Detective peeked her head in.

"Eames, call for you on line 4," she said.

"Alright, thanks," Alex said, receiving a nod from the other woman. Meeting the eyes of both the men, she dismissed herself from the room to go take the call. Bobby turned to look at Deakins.

"Let her go, and you and Eames check out for the night. Start fresh tomorrow," he said, nodding at Patty. Bobby furrowed his brows, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was 5:15. They were getting out early today.

With a nod, Bobby went to get an officer to show Patty out of the squad room. Once he had found one, he found his way back to his and Eames' desks. The sight that met him made him smirk. Alex was rubbing her temple with her right hand while holding the phone to her ear with her left. When she met his gaze, she gave him an exasperated look.

"Yes, I'm sure they would have looked wonderful. We are doing our best to solve this. Now if you'll excuse me, we have...a new lead to follow. Thank you for the information," Alex said, slamming the phone on the cradle as quickly as she could. As soon as her hand left the phone, it went up to join the other at her temples.

"Her story checks out," she reported, letting her hands fall to her desk. "I also heard about the colours of the napkins for the wedding, as well as the font of the invitations. God, the font. She wouldn't stop talking about it..."

Bobby raised his brows. The parents were in on the fantasy. Patty had them convinced she was engaged to Thomas. Then Bobby smiled, remembering something Alex had said in her call.

"So...we have a new lead to follow? Do tell..." he said, leaning towards her in his chair. Alex leaned away from him, smiling guiltily. Bobby laughed at her 'you caught me' look. Then heremembered the captain's orders.

"Oh, Captain says go home, start fresh tomorrow. He doesn't think we are getting anywhere on this case."

Alex nodded, sighing aloud. Sure seemed that way.

"Tomorrow we can start searching for E. coli outbreaks," she said, starting to clear her desk for the night. Bobby watched, intrigued by the loose button of her blouse, just above the visible cleavage as she leaned to grab a paper by the phone. He quickly looked away just before she met his eyes. Instead, he chose to smirk at her and chuckle, thinking again of the conversation she had with Patty's mother, Mrs. Goodman.

"Hey, you would have done something like that too!" she exclaimed, a smile curling at the corners of her lips. "I did learn something from that conversation though," she said distractedly, her eyes on her desk. "After such a long, stressful day, I've learned that what we both need..."

Bobby looked on in interest.

"...is a good font."

Bobby's body twitched, a jolt going through him as his mind ran wild at what he thought she was about to say. Alex wasn't even aware of what was going through his mind, and what her sentence had almost been.

"I mean, she just wouldn't let it go. You need a good font for everything, she said," Alex said indifferently, glancing up at her partner. He finally mustered a smile, and he shook his head at her fondly.

"Well..." Bobby started, clearing his throat as he stood up and grabbed his things. He walked to the coat rack and took his long black coat from it, turning towards her as he slipped it over his shoulders. Alex looked up at him with a smile.

"Goodnight, Alex," he said affectionately, brushing her shoulder in a slight caress as he passed by her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Alex's eyes brightened at the use of her first name as she stood to grab her coat. She met his eyes, giving him a smile that reached his heart. It was enough to keep him warm for tonight.

"Goodnight, Bobby..."

And with a final smile, Bobby turned his back and left the squad room.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope you all are enjoying this. This story is in a pretty critical stage, so please let me know if I should continue it. Do I have enough readers enjoying this to make it worth it? Review and let me know! Also I think I should add a disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. If I did, the show would have gone a little different, or at lease the relationship between Alex and Bobby would have. Also a special thanks to those that have left reviews, you make my day when I see another review pop up. Last but not least, I want to thank my beta for an outstanding job! Thank you kensi54382. Okay, so that was a long author's note. Hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

One Police Plaza

The morning was crisp and chilly, the blustery winds biting at any exposed skin. Bobby walked towards the front steps of 1PP's entrance with two cups of coffee in hand. He wore his gloves and scarf today, but his ears weren't protected. By the time he got into the squad room on the 11th floor, his ears and nose were beet red. He looked like Rudolph, the red-nosed, red-eared reindeer. His things were already at his desk, since he had already stopped at 1PP before leaving to get coffee. It had been twenty minutes since he arrived, he noticed as he looked at his watch. Alex was due in the next ten minutes. Smiling to himself, Bobby set her coffee on her desk and then sat at his own desk. Opening a book in his lap, he awaited his partner.

At 8:28, Alex came walking into the squad room, her heels clicking down the hall. As soon as she saw the coffee on her desk, she smiled and found her partner sitting on his little rolling chair. His eyes fell on her, taking in her appearance as stealthily as possible. She looked good today, but Bobby thought that every morning she walked in.

He especially liked when she wore her suits, just like she was 'one of the guys.' However, unlike any of the other 'guys' she looked too damn sexy for her own good. Unlike her male colleagues, she always left the top few buttons undone, just a hint of cleavage showing, and her slacks were fitted to her toned thighs and round behind. Unlike her male colleagues, she had Bobby checking her out.

Bobby mentally shook himself, then slapped himself. That didn't seem to help anything. Quietly and appraisingly, he took in today's outfit as she crossed the squad room. Today she wore a dark grey suit with a creamy white button-up blouse with dark grey pinstripes. She looked just as good as she always did.

Then Bobby's detail-oriented mind picked up something new. Alex had an extra button unbuttoned on her blouse today...one more button than she tended to leave unbuttoned. This was puzzling to Bobby. Anything like this would be puzzling to only Bobby.

Averting his eyes from the tempting cleavage, his eyes slowly travelled down her slim stomach, her perfect curves, her toned legs, and her heeled feet. Bobby smiled to himself. Those grey heeled pumps were the only things that brought Alex closer to his height, though they failed miserably. Even with those heels she only made it to the knot of his tie.

Alex offered him a 'good morning' smile before turning her back to him to put her purse in her locker and hang her coat on the rack. Bobby's eyes trailed humbly down the now visible side of Alex's attractive body. Her blazer ended just above her rounded backside.

"Good morning," Alex said cheerfully as she turned around to meet her partner with a smile. She gracefully stepped around her chair and sat down, her eyes settling on the hot cup sitting on her desk.

"Morning," Bobby answered her, smiling fondly at her. He watched as she picked up her coffee, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip. Her eyes closed momentarily in pleasure as the warm liquid passed over her tongue.

"Thanks, Bobby. I needed this," she said, holding the cup in both hands.

"No problem, Eames," he answered, taking out the file and putting some papers sent up by Rogers inside the folder. Alex set her coffee down and grabbed her laptop, turning it on as she took out a pen from the Santa mug.

"I'll start looking for the most recent E. coli outbreaks," she said, beginning to type as soon as the computer lit up. Bobby watched with a smile curling at the corner of his lips. Did she know she was so beautiful? Bobby loved watching her, her eyes focused on the screen and her lips slightly parted, full and inviting. Every now and then her perfect brows would furrow, or she would bite her bottom lip, taking the full, pink flesh between her pearly white teeth.

And so the morning went; Alex researching on her computer, and Bobby rotating from his own research to watching her. Alex's facial expression remained relatively neutral throughout her research, so when her brows raised in interest and her hand began writing notes on her notepad, it only confirmed Bobby's suspicion that she had found something. He first knew by the way her eyes lit up and her countenance lifted.

"Bobby," she said, finishing recording her findings in her notes. His eyes were already on her when she glanced up. "There was honey found in Thomas' stomach, right?"

He nodded once with a smile playing on his lips at their 'honey' memory. He put his book on his desk, showing her she had his full attention.

"Well, a restaurant, club business, um...the Magic Eight has one of the most recent outbreaks recorded. The outbreak was caused by consumption of raw honey..." she finished, meeting his eyes again. Bobby raised his brows, nodding.

"Should we pay them a visit?" he asked, already standing up. Alex shook her head, looking again at her screen.

"Tonight is open mic night, starting at 4:00. We should wait. Business will be better then," Alex smiled her signature smile, "for them and for us..."

Bobby sat down, nodding in agreement.

"Thomas loved music. If he went to this club, it would be for open mic night. So what do we do until 4:00 then?" Bobby asked, drumming his fingers on his desk top.

"I don't know, but we better figure something out quick. Here comes Deakins," she said in a low voice, bowing her head to avoid making eye contact. Bobby glanced around discreetly, pulling the file closer to him to appear busy.

"Don't hide from me, detectives," Deakins chuckled, clearly in one of his good moods. "Please tell me you have something."

"We have a possible location where we might find more on the vic," Alex reported, not missing the raised brows from Deakins.

"What are you still doing here then?" he asked, looking between the two.

"Business will be best at 4:00, it's open mic night tonight. Thomas was an aspiring singer. If he was at this club then he would have been there performing, and the other performers there may know some useful information," Alex explained, Bobby nodding his agreement.

"Good thinking," Deakins nodded, "but what are you going to do for another seven hours?"

Alex and Bobby glanced at each other nervously.

"Why don't I stick you guys on Jamison and Garza's case? They could use the help," Deakins said, glancing at the rookie and young detective through the windows to the conference room. The two young people were talking animatedly, pointing at the pictures scattered on the table in front of them. Bobby and Alex looked up at their captain, silently nodding agreement.

"Good luck, and play nice," Deakins said, turning and continuing on to the next pair of desks. Alex looked at Bobby, his eyes were lit with the normal excitement that came with a new case but he was also a tad annoyed. Alex really hoped he would 'play nice'.

Bobby sighed, bobbing his brows at Alex as they stood. She smiled amusedly at him, walking beside him towards the conference room with the awaiting case. Stopping at the door, Bobby turned and smiled.

"Ready or not, here we come..."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know if I should continue with this! Tell me what you like about this and what you don't like. Do you like the BA interaction? Is it good enough to continue? Let me know. :)**

 **~Love**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to all of you guys that are leaving reviews! I love the feedback and they literally speed up my writing because they give me motivation! Thanks to you all! And also thanks to my awesome beta, kensi54382!**

 **Next, I do not own this! Wolf does, that lucky duck. But I'm just playing with them for your and my enjoyment. So enjoy this next chapter and let me know what you think!**

One Police Plaza

It was 1:00 when the four detectives finally took a break for lunch. The case was running smoothly after a quick session of bouncing ideas off of each other. Jamison, a younger Major Case detective, and his partner Garza, a rookie brand new to the squad, grudgingly accepted help from the 'golden team,' the 'dynamic duo.' They were working the murder of a prominent businessman's partner. If you asked Bobby, he would have told you this was a cut and dry case. The two young detectives, newly partnered and still finding their rhythm, had missed a very specific detail that led to a good momentum in the investigation. Once found, the four detectives nearly had the case solved. Thinking of the case, Bobby took a bite of his sandwich that Alex had picked up from the deli down the street.

"I can feel an arrest in the near future," Jamison said happily, sitting on the corner of the table and taking a bite of his vegetarian sandwich. "Thanks for the help."

Alex and Bobby smiled politely, nodding. Looking at the clock, the two sighed when they saw they still had three hours.

When 3:30 finally rolled around, the two left Major Case abruptly, leaving Jamison and Garza in the dust. They practically ran to their desks and out the door to the elevators.

"Were we ever that out of tune?" Alex asked, shaking her head as they sped out of the parking garage. Bobby shook his head.

"I don't think so," he answered, smiling to himself. "I just drove you up the wall on a daily basis."

Alex let out a breath that sounded like a laugh. He turned to look at her, seeing the smile on her face.

"Still do..." she teased, her eyes on the road. She could feel his eyes on her though, probably in a playful glare. He shook his head at her, and turned to watch the streets and buildings go by until they arrived.

Alex parked the car in front of a brick building that resembled every other building surrounding it, but this one had a large sign with blinking lights that read 'The Magic Eight.' When Alex walked around the front of the car, she met Bobby on the sidewalk. He had shed his suit jacket and was now untying his tie. He was staring at the tinted club windows, trying to see in. Alex had to smirk at the darkened windows. It wasn't like this was a serious club, like a night club.

"So...how should we do this? Burst in as cops, or undercover?" Alex asked, her hands on her hips. Bobby thought a moment, then started to nod.

"Which one are you agreeing to?" Alex asked with a smirk. "People think I can read your mind, but truth is I'm not psychic."

Bobby smiled at her snarkiness, shaking his head.

"Let's go undercover if need be, but lets really just lay low, and see what we find."

"Girlfriend, boyfriend if need be?" she asked with a smile as she repeated his words.

"Yeah."

The two detectives looked towards the doors when two women came walking out. Their outfits were a little more wild and revealing than Bobby and Alex's crisp work clothes. Bobby furrowed his brows, wondering if they could pull this off without looking too suspicious. He started unbuttoning the top of his shirt. When he turned back to Alex, he was met with a surprise that sent his brows clear to his hairline. His little blonde partner was standing there beside him, unbuttoning her own blouse. His eyes immediately fell on the revealed skin.

"Is this any better?" Alex asked, fluffing and teasing her hair to look a little wilder. Bobby sighed inwardly, it only made her look more desirable. His mind finding its way back to the case, Bobby furrowed his brows in thought.

"You should pop another button," Bobby said distractedly, thinking of the other girls' outfits as they had emerged from the club. He didn't realize how Alex would take it. Slightly glaring at Bobby, Alex yanked the top of her blouse further apart, two more buttons popping open. Not only was there plenty of cleavage, but black lace was also very visible. Slightly annoyed that Bobby would choose to say something like this at work of all places, or maybe from the fact that he had said it so distractedly; whichever it was, Alex led the way into the club in an irritable mood. She didn't notice the whoosh of air that left Bobby's lungs, having been holding his breath after her little stint with the buttons. Did she know what a distraction she was going to be?

At the door, both detectives looked inside the club. It looked like any cop hangout, just with a dance floor and a stage. At the moment, a new performer was taking the stage. He began to strum to Hoobastank's song "The Reason" on his guitar.

"Let's cut to the chase with the owner, Eames," Bobby suggested. Alex nodded her agreement, and followed him towards the bar where a man in his late forties stood behind it, opening a beer.

Alex and Bobby smoothly slid onto the barstools, glancing at each other.

"What can I get the two of you?" he asked, his hands down on the counter and a smile on his face. Bobby noted with disgust how the balding man's eyes lingered on Alex.

"The manager of this place," Bobby answered firmly, pulling out his badge and showing it to the man discreetly. The man's brows raised, and he returned his gaze from the badge.

"Well, you got him. I'm Jerry Robertson," he said proudly, pointing a thumb at himself. "What can I do for you?"

"We are investigating a murder," Alex answered. "The murder of Thomas Adamson."

Jerry's face clouded and his smile disappeared.

"Oh...that's horrible..." he said sadly, shaking his head.

"Yes. Do you know...if Thomas had any enemies here?" Alex asked, tilting her head slightly and glancing down for a moment. It was damn near impossible to think with a sleaze-ball ogling you, so it was a good thing she had practice from Vice. Alexandra Eames was not easily intimidated.

"Well...I don't know about enemies...he had a lot of friends. I mean, these guys are all competitors, but the only person that I know for sure had a beef with Thomas is Sean over there," Jerry answered, nodding towards the young man in the middle of his performance. Alex and Bobby turned their heads to look at the young man, their next possible suspect. Alex turned her gaze back to Jerry while Bobby continued to take in his surroundings.

"Mr. Robertson, when was the last time you saw Thomas?" she asked, quirking a brow curiously.

"Just after his performance two weeks ago, Tommy came back here for a drink, tea if I remember correctly. Said his throat hurt or somethin'. Anyway, Tommy had stolen Sean's song and it was Sean's turn next. After Sean finished his song, he came back here and started shoving Tommy. Tommy, of course, shoved back and got worked up. The two boys took their disagreement outside, thankfully. And that was the last I remember seeing Tommy."

Alex nodded, watching for any tell-tale signs of any form of lying. Bobby's light nudge to her elbow let her know he was ready to move on, and Alex realized she couldn't hear any music playing. Bobby was ready to talk to Sean.

"Alright. Thank you for your time, Mr. Robertson," Alex said, tapping the counter with her hand as she slipped off of her barstool. Jerry smiled, nodding.

"Anytime, sweetheart. Either of you need a drink?" he asked, looking between the two. Both shook their heads and politely declined. Slowly, they made their way towards Sean. He was talking to three women at a table, all three giggling at something he had said. The two detectives glanced at each other, both agreeing it was time to end their fun.

"Sorry to crash the party," Alex said, both of them flashing their badges, "but we need to ask Sean some questions."

Sean, a dark haired 24 year old with a large tattoo of a woman on his arm, looked up at the two detectives in confusion. He quickly recovered though, and put on a smirk, pulling the women closer around him like walls that kept him safe from the two prying detectives.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," he said, turning away to resume his conversation with the women. Alex watched him with an annoyed look on her face, not hiding it from Sean, and Bobby took a step towards the table. Ignoring the looks from the women and Sean, he sat down in the available spot in the booth Sean was seated in. One of Sean's accessory women still remained between Bobby and Sean. Alex folded her arms as Bobby just sat there, watching Sean watching him.

"You know, you're a prime suspect in a murder investigation," Bobby said, aware of the women's reactions to that, but he didn't look at them. He stared ahead at Sean even as the women gasped and stared at Sean with a new look in their eyes.

"A murder investigation?" he asked, scratching his ear lazily. Bobby nodded, then glanced at the women.

"If you'll excuse us, ladies, Sean has some questions he needs to answer for us," Bobby said, sliding out of the booth to allow the woman trapped between him and Sean to go. Immediately, the three women left the table, all in a hurry. Bobby then took his seat again, sliding over to make room for Alex.

As she sat down, Alex smiled wryly at Sean, whom though pissed-off still found it in him to put on his bad boy charm act for the woman cop. This is why she had transferred from Vice, too manyhot-headed Johns that only thought with the organ in their pants. She hated dealing with men like this.

"Sean," Bobby said, averting the man's attention from Alex. "I'm Detective Goren and this is my partner, Detective Eames—"

"And I'm Sean Calabress," Sean smirked, making Bobby glare at the cocky hot-shot. Sean's smirk slowly disappeared at the intensity in the large detective's eyes—the famous Detective Robert Goren look.

"Listen, Sean," Alex said aggressively, very irritated with the man, "we're looking at you for a murder investigation. So I wouldn't be such a cocky little smart-ass if I were you."

Sean frowned, looking between the two annoyed detectives. Finally he nodded, looking down at his hands on the table.

"Sean, tell us about the last time you saw Thomas Adamson," Bobby said, watching as the man winded down. "Was it here?"

"Yeah," Sean nodded, "exactly two weeks ago. Look if you really want to see everything that went on during his performance, go to Thomas' MySpace page. You can see it all yourselves, I don't want to have to talk about that knit-wit's performance."

Bobby wrote down the username as Sean told him, and Alex nodded, ready for the next question.

"But that wasn't the last time you saw him. The manager tells us that you and Thomas got into a shoving match?" Alex asked, raising her brows before adding a dry comment. "How grown up..." Sean laughed, nodding and glancing down in at least the slightest embarrassment. Alex wasn't done though. "Want to share what happened? And where you went after?"

"Thomas stole my song. I got mad, started shoving Thomas. But we took it outside. After I vented, yelled a bit, Thomas took off. I went back inside to introduce myself to the talent scout. That was the last I heard of Thomas," Sean finished, leaning back in his seat, his cocky smile returning when he thought it was impossible for the detectives to suspect him anymore.

Alex and Bobby glanced at each other, agreeing silently.

"Thank you for your time," Alex said, standing and glancing at the sharply dressed man in the back.

"Anytime...maybe next time you can show me your handcuffs...?" Sean said in a low voice with a smile that sent Alex's skin crawling. She glanced at him in disgust before grabbing Bobby's coat by the elbow and leading him away before he could make a scene. She could see the anger in his eyes. Hell, she could feel it radiating off of him. However, seconds later, Bobby was the one ushering her away from the appraising eyes of Sean.

"Bobby," Alex warned, stopping in her tracks and forcing Bobby to stop as well. With a short glance at him she silently told him to calm down. She then turned her eyes to the talent scout at his own table.

"The talent scout..." she said, nodding towards the man. "Did you notice—"

"—his inconsistent 'writing' and the dazed look he gives with a tilt of his head?" Bobby finished for her, studying the man with a tilt of his own. Alex raised her brows at him, then shook her head and returned her attention to the other man.

"Yeah..." she said, furrowing her brows. Bobby watched the talent scout, and suddenly an idea came to mind. Alex noticed when her partner's eyes lit up and he stood up impossibly straight, and she awaited his explanation with a smile.

"Let's get a drink, Eames, and then pay the talent scout a visit about your brother's music career, huh?" he asked with a smirk. With a nod, Alex followed Bobby back to the bar, where he bought them two beers. He had asked Jerry to pour some of the liquid out of the bottles for the appearance that they had been drinking. With a quick thanks, the two detectives made their way to the largest group of people nearest the talent scout. Hanging back in the crowd, Alex and Bobby glanced at each other. Alex raised her brows, questioning. Bobby raised his brows, questioning. With a sigh, Alex glared at him, expecting an answer. Bobby shrugged, nodding towards the talent scout. Plastering a smile on her face, Alex led the way.

"Excuse me," she said, noticing how the man flipped his notepad page. The man looked up though with a smile. Alex gestured to Bobby.

"My boyfriend and I are here watching my brother's performance. Music is very important to him, and he has devoted his life to it," she spoke with an air of affection for a made up brother. "But he hasn't really gotten anywhere, playing at his usual slums...A friend suggested this specific place, saying it recently picked up a new talent scout. That would be you?"

The man nodded his head, smiling a professional, charming smile.

"That would be me. And I assure you, if your brother is good, I can make him the next big thing," he chuckled deeply, waving it off.

"Oh? What agency are you with?" Bobby asked with a smile and feigned interest, his free hand in his pocket. "You with Tiesto? They're very successful and extremely respectable."

The talent scout smiled, nodding proudly and importantly. Alex slowly moved closer to the table, standing beside the man.

"Yes I'm with Tiesto."

Bobby smiled the predatory smile he always gave when he caught a suspect in a lie.

"That's funny because the owner of Tiesto recently retired the company," Bobby said, watching as Alex snatched the notepad from the table.

"Hey!" The man protested, reaching for the notepad but Alex was already walking away and flipping it open. The pages were not filled with notes, but with doodles of cartoon characters, flowers, and objects around the room. Alex raised her brows, looking at the supposed talent scout as she handed the notepad to Bobby.

"If you will step outside with us for a moment," she said as they both showed him their badges.

 **A/N: So what do you think of this chapter? Did you like it? Did you like the interaction between the two of our favorite detectives? Me, myself, and I want to know haha. :) Let me know, because your reviews are like sunshine! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are still enjoying this story!**

 **~Love**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here is chapter 8! I hope you all like it. This chapter didn't have a beta, so sorry for any errors or mistakes. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy it, and leave me a review about what you think! Enjoy!**

The Magic Eight

Alex and Bobby stood in the alleyway outside the club, staring at Jerry, the owner, and the assumed talent scout they learned was named Mitchell Carmen. The two men looked anywhere but at the two detectives.

"So...why don't the two of you start out by telling us why Mitchell is impersonating a talent scout?" Alex asked, a chilly breeze blowing through her hair. Jerry glanced at Mitchell, and Mitchell looked confusedly at Jerry, making a last attempt to get out of the situation. Alex rolled her eyes, shaking her head in irritation.

"We know the two of you are working together, so cut the crap and start explaining," she said, cranky that she had to be out in the cold questioning two men that wouldn't talk. Bobby watched the two men with a tilted head and skeptical eyes.

"Okay," Jerry spoke up, his hands going to his hips. "Mitchell's my friend from school, elementary. We co-own the club, and we thought that if the hopefuls thought a talent scout was in the audience more would come to perform. Business would be better."

"So..." Bobby began, ready to speculate wildly and withdraw information from the two. "Tommy found out...and he confronted you?"

"No—"

"But you couldn't have that. So you killed him because if people found out, your business would go under. You knew lying and fraud was bad for business," Bobby pressed forward, ignoring their protests and making them go quiet. Alex looked at the two with a raised brow.

"You know what else is bad for business?" she asked with a straight face, turning to look at Bobby then returning her gaze to the two men. "Murder."

"We didn't kill Tommy!" Jerry burst, shaking his head and looking at the two in exasperation.

"No one knew about this, I swear!" Mitchell exclaimed, eyes wide and fearful.

Bobby and Alex stopped their attack on the two men, becoming quiet as they searched their faces. All they found was sincerity and fear. Turning to look up at Bobby, Alex nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Alright, I believe you..." Bobby started out in a gentler voice than he had used before. "But cut this scam."

"It's none of our business, but we know people whose it is," Alex finished. Both Jerry and Mitchell nodded vigorously, relief overcoming them.

Glancing at each other, Alex and Bobby began walking out of the alley and towards their car.

"Maybe the video will shed some light on the case..." Alex said hopefully as she opened the car door. Bobby nodded, opening his door and climbing in, smiling at her.

"So? The diner for dinner?"

Alex grinned back at him, starting the car.

In a parked car across the street from the club, a camera snapped shots of the two detectives talking with the owners and then walking towards their SUV, smiling and talking easily and comfortably with each other. The woman behind the camera frowned deeply at the scene that played out in front of her. Seeing the woman cop start the car and drive off, she started her own car and began following them. She couldn't leave this alone. She would get what she wanted this time.

Sue's Diner

Soft music played in the background of the diner, and light laughter came from the table in front, near the window.

"He didn't talk to me for the rest of the case..." Bobby said, having been telling stories of past captains. Alex laughed, shaking her head. The story definitely sounded like something Bobby would do. Bobby smiled at his partner's laughter.

"You know, you could be Captain one day," he added with a tone of a man in thought. He watched in disappointment as Alex's smiled waned and she shook her head.

"I like where I am now," she stated, shrugging slightly.

"Hmm. You'd be good at it, though," Bobby said, watching as his partner took a drink of the chocolate shake he had owed her.

"I don't do the job to get noticed..." Alex said with a shrug of a shoulder. Bobby smiled at the slightly girly way she had done it. "I don't strive to be noticed like others do...like Thomas Sweeney and Sean Calabress do..."

"Well...it's human nature to want to stand out. People like these two...come from a hard background...and they have an even stronger need to stand out," Bobby explained, making Alex smile as she listened to the profiler in him talk. "Being the best brings power and prestige."

Alex smiled warmly, leaning against her arms crossed just below her breasts. She nodded absently, her thoughts turning to the man in front of her. A man so handsome, caring, compassionate, skillful, and so amazing.

Bobby watched her eyes curiously, yet so warmly that Alex's cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink. She was so beautiful, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"I meant to tell you, you look good today," Bobby said casually, though his stomach fluttered nervously and in embarrassment. At this comment, a warmth spread throughout Alex's petite body, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Was that before or after you asked me to pop a few more buttons?" she asked, an amused smirk showing how easy it was to joke with him around. Bobby let out a laugh, a real genuine laugh. He opened his mouth to reply, but a shrill ring sounded from his pocket. In unison, both detectives looked towards the sound that the offending phone made, interrupting their happy moment. Reluctantly, Bobby took his phone out and flipped it open.

"Goren," he answered in a voice void of emotion. Alex looked down at her plate, picking up a leftover fry and taking a bite from it as she watched him on the phone. She saw the furrow of his brows and became more attentive towards him and his call. He met her eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Patty...?" Bobby said in a questioning tone, letting Alex know who it was as well as ask why the woman was calling him. At the mention of Patty's name, Alex raised her brows. Then she saw Bobby's eyes light up.

"Yes...Okay, that's great...We'll meet you at the same place as yesterday..." Bobby looked up at Alex with a look of worry as he listened to what Patty was saying. "Okay...Thank you..."

Alex raised a brow at her partner as he hung up. He purposely avoided her gaze. This only made her lean forward and lower her head to meet his eyes.

"So? What did she want?" she asked warily, disliking the way Bobby was acting after the call.

"Uh...she says she wants to meet again...she has more information on the case..." Bobby said, trailing off. Alex saw him open his mouth to say something more, but he closed it and looked away.

"And?" she asked with a brow raised. Bobby looked at her and sighed irritably, but not at her. He was frustrated with the situation.

"She wants to meet alone...just her and I..." he said, watching Alex's face carefully for her reaction, the one he knew would come. He watched expectantly as Alex raised her brows and a protest formed on her lips.

"I don't like this idea, Bobby. You yourself said that she was a dangerous person, especially to be alone with. Whether you like it or not, my job is to protect you not only physically, but in this sense as well..." she spoke boldly, the look in her eyes telling him she was upset.

"It will be fine, Eames," he said softly, attempting to dowse the flickering flames that were building in her eyes. Not giving her a chance to answer, he continued, "I'll do it in the conference room in front of our desks, okay?"

Alex scowled at him, wanting to shake her head in disagreement. But the look in his eyes pled for her trust and won her over, making her sigh in resignation.

"Fine."

Bobby smiled gratefully even as Alex looked down at her nearly empty plate. She didn't move to eat any more of her dinner, though.

"Ready to go?" he asked, getting ready to stand up. Alex looked up at him, offering a half-smile and nodding.

"Yeah, let's get back so I can start on Thomas' MySpace page," Alex said, finally smiling a real smile. "I wonder what personal crap I'll be learning today..."

Bobby laughed, leading the way to the counter to pay. Taking out his wallet and credit card, Bobby turned to Alex as the young woman behind the counter gave him their check to sign.

"Have a good day, Mr. and Mrs. Goren," the girl said, smiling at the two. Alex blanched, staring wide-eyed at the girl. She was new, she noted. She hadn't seen her here before. As Alex opened her mouth to correct the girl, Bobby smiled and dove in.

"We will..." Bobby said suggestively, bouncing his brows and leaning in conspiratorially. "We just got back from our honeymoon."

Alex frowned, turning to look up at him with a scowl. Did he realize they would see her probably many times after this? After all, they did come here often together.

"Aw, well then it's just beginning," the young woman said, leaning in just as Bobby had. She herself had just been married. "You know what they say, first comes love, then marriage, and then you know...babies! I just found out I'm expecting myself."

Bobby nodded, wrapping an arm dramatically around Alex's shoulders.

"So sooner or later..." the woman said, bobbing her brows at Alex. Giving up on being upset, Alex finally let a smirk appear on her face. She leaned in, smiling at the woman as she slipped her arm around Bobby's waist and rested her right hand on his firm stomach.

"What he doesn't know, is it may be sooner than he expected," Alex said, putting a hand on her own stomach and smirking up at a shell shocked Bobby Goren. With that and a short congratulation from the girl at the counter, Alex led Bobby out the door onto the sidewalk. Triumphantly, she looked up at him as she let him go. He looked down at her, shaking his head and a smile appearing on his lips.

"You got me on that one, Eames," he laughed, beginning to head toward the car. Alex followed his lead, her hands in her pockets as they walked side by side on the busy sidewalk. Grinning up at him, Alex saw his mind working, the gears in his head turning.

"This...this i-isn't your way of, um, telling me y-you're...pregnant again, i-is it?" Bobby asked, truly confused and perplexed by this. He wasn't even aware of her being romantically involved with anyone. He desperately hoped that wasn't the case. His fears were extinguished when Alex scoffed at him with a wry smile on her lips.

"No, Bobby," she said, her brows furrowing in feigned confusion and innocence. "Why? Do I look pregnant?"

Bobby started to panic, shaking his head frantically, and came to a stop on the sidewalk as he gawked at her.

"What? No! No, no...that's n-not what I m-meant by, by that at all, E-Eames," he insisted, stuttering profusely. Alex watched him floundering with masked amusement, staring up at him. "Y-you look great...b-better than...can't even tell you—ugh, Eames," he said pleadingly, begging her to save him and to understand. Alex let a smirk slowly take over her features, letting out a soft chuckle. Bobby frowned, looking down at her in embarrassment.

"Damn it, Eames..." he muttered, but a smile was slowly appearing. Alex let out another laugh, taking another step on their way to the car. Sluggishly, Bobby followed her lead and caught up, shaking his head and chuckling.

"You can say that I got you on that one, too," Alex smirked with a raised brow at him, softly bumping into him with her shoulder. Bobby smiled fondly down at her, stepping close enough to her so their arms brushed as they walked.

"You go me on that one, too, Eames..."

From the other side of the street, two eyes watched the two smiling detectives. Were they a couple? They sure looked like one, but how could she be sure? Returning her eyes to the camera in her hands, she snapped a series of pictures of the tall, handsome man. It frustrated her when she was unable to get a picture of just him; his partner managed to get into every one of them. It was impossible to get a picture of the man when the woman was standing so close to him...too close to him. She planned to find out what Detective Eames really was to Robert.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Two updates in one day! I am almost done writing this story, I just have to type it all up on here and post it. Don't worry though there is still much to come in the future, haha. I hope you all enjoy this story, and you'll have to excuse the mistakes I didn't have a beta on this chapter either. Anyway, please read and review!**

One Police Plaza

Alex and Bobby walked into the bullpen, shedding their winter wear as they approached their desks.

"We still haven't established a connection between Mr. Branson and Thomas..." Alex said as they hung up their coats. Bobby shrugged, his mind working out the puzzle.

"I don't think we will, Eames," he finally said after they had sat down. Alex looked up in interest, stopping in sorting the papers on her desk. Taking a moment to think about it, Alex nodded slowly on agreement.

"Mr. Branson didn't know Thomas...but the killer may have known Mr. Branson," Alex said, letting out a sigh. "Ugh...that pretty much excludes nearly every person we have interviewed."

Bobby nodded, returning into his own head to think over the case. While Alex searched through the file for nearly the hundredth time, Bobby leaned forward, staring at the pictures that Alex withdrew. Every once in a while Bobby would take a picture from Alex's hand, asking politely with his baby-face and warm brown eyes as he held out his hand.

Alex was first to see her; she could sense the glare from across the room. First her body tingled, then the hair on her neck stood up. As she looked up from her file, Alex's eyes immediately fell on Patty. She watched her with a neutral expression, calmly receiving the cold stare Patty gave back. Finally, Alex returned her eyes to her desk, her expression unchanging.

"Bobby," she said, loudly enough to break through his thoughts. The edge in her voice was what truly penetrated Bobby's barricade of thoughts, and he looked up in a questioning look. She didn't meet his eyes, just raised her brows in slight irritation, still staring at the papers on her desk. "You have a visitor."

Bobby frowned at her obvious irritated state, shaking his head slightly in his own form of mild irritation. Did she not trust him? He knew she did, so why was she being so difficult? This was the worst; when she she was silently difficult, silently admonishing him, silently seething and brooding. Standing from his seat, Bobby waited to greet Patty.

"Hello, Patty," Bobby greeted with a polite smile. "Thanks for coming."

Patty smiled, nodding and tucking a box closer to her body. Alex frowned, feeling uneasy about this meeting. She was a little suspicious of the box, even though she was sure it had been checked when she came in, but she eyed it warily anyway before regarding Patty. She was considerably made up today; she wore more makeup than she had at their last meeting, her hair was done up nicely, and she wore very nice clothing. Alex noticed with bitterness that Patty was dressed like she was going on a date...with her partner. It annoyed her even more when Bobby led Patty to the conference room without even a glance at her. Watching Bobby's retreating form, she glared into his strong, muscular back.

As Bobby opened the glass door and let Patty in, he turned and looked back at his partner. He smiled apologetically at her, his eyes silently pleading with her. When he saw her fair face visibly soften, he gave her a real smile and turned to join Patty. As Bobby closed the door behind him, he felt a twinge of...loss? Emptiness? Sadness? He gave another wistful glance out the window of the room and at his beautiful partner sitting lonely at their desks. He briefly wondered if she felt it too.

Patty watched as Robert Goren's attention fell outside the room, and to her disappointment, his partner.

"So...is Detective Eames..." Bobby looked up at the mention of his partner. "...your girlfriend? I didn't know they allowed that here."

Bobby looked at her in pure confusion. Where had that come from?

"No, she's my partner," he said, shaking his head and chuckling lightly as if it were an absurd question. In truth, it should have been an absurd question, but to Bobby it was wishful thinking.

"Oh...you love her, though? You have feelings for her?" she continued, pressuring him. Bobby squirmed slightly, though he tried hard not to. It wasn't usual that a suspect or interviewee got to him like this, made him uncomfortable.

"Patty, what's the box for? Those aren't more pictures are they?" he asked, avoiding the question with one of his own, adding a small disarming smile at the end. Patty smiled as she looked down at the box, running a hand over the top of it.

"I brought it for you," she said, offering it to him. With brows furrowed, Bobby took the box from her and slowly lifted the lid. He frowned at the contents of the box. Inside were several pairs of winter socks on top of a stack of informational magazines. Bobby looked back at a smiling Patty. He shook his head, replacing the lid back on the box. How could he have been so stupid? He realized everything, it was crystal clear now. He understood, or at least mostly understood, why Alex was so annoyed with him, and he understood Patty's line of questioning. Bobby frowned.

'Women,' he sighed inwardly.

"Patty...I-I thought you had information on the case," he said, setting the box down between them. Patty smiled, shaking her head.

"I never said anything about the case..." she said, furrowing her brows in confusion even as she smiled up at him. Bobby frowned even further, shaking his head. That was true, but when they were talking on the phone he had assumed she had something on the case. However, it wasn't the case she had in mind. She was making advances on him.

"I just wanted to talk to you...and give you my condolences for your mother," she said with a smile of pity. Bobby snapped to attention, his face hardening, stony and cold. He hated pity, and how the hell did she know about his mother?

"Patricia, this is very inappropriate of you. You were involved in this investigation, a-and you have take my time during my work hours...y-you shouldn't have come..." Bobby said disapprovingly, shaking his head. Patty shook her head and laughed, waving it off with her hand.

"Oh, Robert, I suppose you're right." Bobby raised his brows at the unprofessional addressing of his name. "I shouldn't have come during your work hours, but I just wanted to see you. I'll go now, and see you later."

Bobby leaned back in his chair as Patty stood up.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said firmly, looking up at her seriously. Patty began laughing again, shaking her head as if he was teasing her.

"Goodbye, Robert," she laughed, opening the door to the conference room.

When Alex heard the door open, her attention snapped from the website on her screen to the person emerging from it. She ignored the look Patty was giving her as she waited by the door, and without giving a reaction, Alex grabbed her laptop and the file in her arms. She saw that Bobby was still inside the room and went to join him, passing Patty by the door without a second glance. Just past the door, Alex paused on her way to the table. She turned to face Patty again. Shifting the things in her arms, Alex smiled politely, though the smile held a hint of venom for the other woman.

"Excuse us," she said sweetly with innocence, reaching for the door knob and pulling the glass door closed. She didn't stay to see the glare Patty gave her before slipping into her vulnerable grieving facade and turning to leave the squad room.

Bobby watched with amusement as the scene played out in front of him, shaking his head at his partner when she turned to meet his gaze. He watched as she silently sat down in her seat, setting her laptop down and handing him the file, having added some papers to it. Quietly and without mention of the meeting, Alex continued her search on the website. Bobby smiled, looking sideways at her.

"Don't you want to know what that was about?" he asked, chuckling lightly as Alex's eyes turned to him with her answer. She quickly masked her curiosity and shook her head.

"It was obviously meant for your ears only," she said without making eye contact and irritation building in her voice. "But whatever was said, Patty definitely left very smitten," Alex commented dryly, her eyes flashing as she stared at the computer screen. Bobby furrowed his brows, sighing loudly and putting his head in his hands, a sign of defeat. Alex watched in concern, no matter how annoyed with him she was.

"Patty...she...she gave me a gift," he started, shaking his head as he sat up and pulled the box closer, scooting towards her. He watched as she opened it and looked inside. "She asked about...m-my relationship with y-you...and somehow she knows about my mom."

Alex looked up with her brows raised, both in interest and concern. Patty had asked about their relationship? What did he say? And how the hell did she know about his mom?

"Are...are you okay?" she asked carefully, watching his face for a reaction. He merely nodded, too far in thought.

"This is her manipulation technique..." he said, shaking his head as he stared at the shiny grey tabletop, his fist going to his lips in his 'thinking pose.' "It's how she gets people close to her. It's how she got Thomas to treat her with a forced special kindness at the training sessions. She first appears vulnerable to draw you in and feel sorry for her. Then that's followed by her generosity."

Bobby looked at Alex, meeting her gaze as she listened to him. She nodded at him, thinking over the case.

"First with Thomas and the music gift card, now with you and the...socks..." she smiled slightly as she glanced in the box again. Bobby watched her with twinkling eyes, a smile curling on his lips.

"Hey, she also gave me magazines," he said with a chuckle. Alex shook her head at him as she smiled, leaning in closer.

"Did you check what she might have left inside the magazines?" she teased, raising her brows and grinning at his look of disgust.

"I'm not sure I want to now," he admitted, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His heart leaped for joy when Alex let out a laugh that could have made the dreariest day a bright, good one. At least that's what it did for him.

"While you were in here, I looked up Thomas' MySpace. It appears he was about to release a CD titled 'I Can't Do Better Than You.' Patty probably thought it was meant for her..." Alex said, shaking her head in slight sadness. Bobby nodded, scooting his chair closer to her in order to see the screen better. "I haven't watched the video yet, I was waiting for you, and it's kind of hard to see. We may have to send it to get altered and enhanced..."

With that, she clicked to start the video. It opened up in the club with Thomas taking the stage, but the camera was set up behind him, facing the crowd. Bobby nodded in understanding as the video continued on.

"He likes to see the audience's reaction to him...that's why he sets the camera behind...He's a presentational performer and craves attention from the audience..." he explained, watching the video even closer. At the same time, both detectives leaned in to see a specific face that didn't look pleased; in fact, he looked angry. Thomas was singing to the woman seated beside the angry-faced man. Alex quickly paused the video, staring hard at the frozen footage.

"I remember seeing him at the club," she said, Bobby nodding beside her. "He was a guitar player..." Her eyes lit up as she turned her gaze to her partner, whom also had a lightbulb shining bright in his mind. "A guitar string may have been—"

"—the murder weapon, right," Bobby interrupted her, nodding as they were on the same page. The two immediately looked up at the clock in unison. 6:23.

"First thing tomorrow we can bring him in for interrogation," Alex said, nodding excitedly. It finally seemed they were getting somewhere.

"Great..." Bobby sighed in relief, leaning back in his chair in relaxation. He turned with a smile to his partner. "I'd ask you to drinks if we didn't have a suspect to interrogate in the morning..."

Alex smiled back at him, shrugging.

"I'd say yes if we didn't have a suspect to interrogate in the morning," Alex laughed. "I don't want to have to crash on your couch. You don't need me bothering you."

Bobby shook his head.

"You've done it before, Eames, and have never bothered me..." he said with a sincere smile. What he wasn't saying was that he actually enjoyed having her in his apartment when he went to bed and when he woke up. "And have I ever made you sleep on the couch?"

Alex smirked, feeling her skin involuntarily start to tingle as she thought about the few times she had slept over in his bed. He always insisted she sleep there while he slept on the couch. Shaking her head in answer of Bobby and to clear her head, Alex stood from her chair.

"No, you haven't. Do you want a ride home?" she asked, shutting down her computer and taking it under her arm.

"Sure. Let me lock up our desks and then we can go," he smiled, going to the door and opening it for her. As she passed him going out the door, she smiled up at him in thanks. Once she passed through the door, she heard the hinges of the door creaking as it closed quite closely behind her. Turning her head, she was overcome by the smell of pine, and a large, warm, electrifying hand found its place on the small of her back. Bobby was smiling down at her, and she couldn't help thinking this was how it was meant to be.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. I hope you all are enjoying this story! This chapter was done without a beta, so any errors you may find are on me. Also, I don't own and am not making any money from this whatsoever. Anyway, please read and review. Enjoy!**

One Police Plaza

Alex sat stiffly across from a relatively short but muscularly built man. His long red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, hanging over his bare shoulders. He wore a muscle shirt with the silhouette of a woman on it, and a black ring hung from his left earlobe.

"Dexter Givens...reports of suspected drug possession..." she said in a bored voice, flipping through his rap sheet.

"Eh—never convicted..." he added, pointing a finger at her and smiling. Alex merely glanced at him, continuing the list of more minor crimes.

"Nothing even close to murder. This is a big leap for you..." Alex said, just to pull the man's leg.

"I ain't committed no murder," Dexter laughed, shaking his head. Alex didn't laugh with him. Glancing at the tall, reassuring figure in the corner behind Dexter, she continued.

"How well did you know Thomas Adamson?" she asked him, pulling a picture of the young man and slipping it in front of Dexter. The guitar player cringed at the picture.

"Ouch. I didn't know..." he looked up at Alex, realization overcoming his rough features. "Hey, you were at the club last night. Both of you were."

Bobby pushed off the wall, walking towards the empty seat next to Dexter.

"Just answer my question, Mr. Givens," Alex insisted, getting annoyed. Without waiting further, she took the picture of an angry Dexter with a woman and slapped it in front of him. "This is you, is it not?" Dexter nodded, wondering why they had his picture. Alex raised her brows, looking down at the picture and shaking her head. "Hmm...you look really upset. What about Thomas had you this angry? Was it this woman?"

Dexter stared at Alex in disbelief, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Of course it was. I mean it makes me angry when people like you hit on her," Bobby finally spoke up, gesturing at Alex. "And she's my partner at work, not even my girl."

Alex stared at Bobby in slight shock before quickly schooling her features. Dexter glanced at her before turning back to Bobby and starting to explain something.

"Let me tell you what I think happened, Dex..." Bobby continued, ignoring Dexter as he attempted to speak. "I think...you got mad that Thomas...was serenading your girl, so you—"

"What? No! Helen isn't even my girl! In fact she's married. I wasn't mad because he was hitting on her, I was pissed because I hate Thomas. He's a cocky, crooked little son of a bitch!" Dexter yelled, looking between the two angrily. "I set Thomas up with Jason—" Alex glanced at Bobby, meeting his eyes. "—Berg, my trainer. The two hit it off, and I suggested Thomas open a training facility with Jason and I, you know...I thought I could make a little money out of it. The two took out a huge loan to open the facility, and that little bastard ran off with the money to produce his CD. Now if the two of you have any more questions, go through my lawyer. I'm leaving..."

Dexter stood up, the two detectives standing with him. He glared at them as an officer came into the room before either could protest. Carver followed the officer into the room with a tall man in a suit behind him. A lawyer.

"Detectives, this isn't the one," Carver sighed in irritation, glancing at the lawyer beside him.

"Detectives," the lawyer said, pulling out some papers from his briefcase, "Mr. Givens has an alibi for Friday at 5:45 to 10:30 pm, two weeks ago."

Alex and Bobby raised their brows at the man, Alex stepping forward to take the papers he offered. "Mr. Givens was seen at the Diamond Casino by more than three witnesses. I have their statements and the security footage there and his tab from the night of," the lawyer said, pointing at the papers and directing Dex to the door. Alex and Bobby watched with furrowed brows, upset that their suspect was being taken away by a blood sucking lawyer.

"He could have hired a hit man," Bobby said, watching the lawyer with his head cocked to the left.

"With what money?" Dex scoffed, shaking his head and laughing. His lawyer silently told him to be quiet.

"You may check his financials, but you will find nothing. Mrs. Givens, his mother, is taken care of by my client, and in turn she pays for his needs," the man said calmly, ushering Dexter further out the door. Bobby was allowed one more blow.

"Is that who sent you?" he asked, watching the lawyer glare at him before closing the door between him and the prying, large detective. With a shake of his head, Carver exited the room to find Deakins. As the door closed, leaving them alone in the room, Alex glanced at Bobby, shaking her head before walking to and out the door. This wasn't how she wanted to start her morning. As Alex walked towards the bullpen, it felt as though all eyes turned to her. It was just a few fellow detectives wondering how the interrogation had gone with the squad's golden team, but she was still annoyed by it anyway. In a souring mood, Alex walked towards her desk adjoined with Bobby's. This case was going nowhere. It felt as though they were chasing their tails. She knew they were close to some break in the case, but she wished they would hurry and make it.

Bobby sighed as he walked the halls alone, heading for the bullpen. As he stepped into the large, busy room his eyes immediately fell on Alex. He could tell she was in a cranky mood, but with a smile he noted she still looked gorgeous, as she always did. Silently, he admired her in her fitted white cashmere sweater, light grey slacks, and grey high heels. He was mesmerized by her soft blonde hair, smooth milky skin, and full pink lips. When she had walked in that morning, he had also noticed the diamond stud earrings she wore. He thought that they weren't nearly as bright or dazzling as her beautiful eyes. Even now, with eyes full of irritation she looked unbelievable.

As Bobby took a seat at his desk, Alex picked up the phone from its cradle on her desk. She had to get to work finding both Dexter Givens and Dr. Jason Berg's banking and finance information.

"The money between him and Thomas must have escaped Dr. Berg's memory," Alex said, looking up at Bobby with a dry smile as she waited for the person on the other end of the phone to answer. Bobby returned her dry smile, shaking his head and picking up his phone as he responded.

"Funny how a murder investigation will do that to a person's memory..."

 **A/N2: Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think! Reviews help my writing by motivating me!**


	11. Chapter 11

One Police Plaza

After two hours of calling and note taking, Alex finally set her phone down. It had been a long, grueling process to find the bank's statements on the situation between Jason and Thomas, and then to check Dexter's finances. But Alex hung up the phone victoriously and with a proud smile of triumph on her face.

"Now that Thomas is gone, guess who's on the hook for paying $60,000," she said with a smile, which relieved Bobby. He was glad to see her mood brighten, especially with the work she had done to track down Jason's bank and get the bank's statements. But he knew she liked that work, the puzzles and mazes. She loved coming out on top, triumphant. He was very glad he was able to share that with her.

"So shall we ask for a house call from the doctor?" Bobby asked, standing with a grin on his face. Alex smirked as she stood from her own seat.

"I'm afraid Dr. Berg does not make house calls...I believe our situation calls for a walk-in appointment, don't you?" she asked with a teasing glint in her eyes as she smiled across the desks at her partner, slipping her coat over her shoulders. Bobby could have leapt with joy. He absolutely loved when Eames got like this, unleashing her snark and humor. He felt close to her when she was making jokes with him; he knew he was in her good graces when she smiled that genuine smile he loved so much. It was like standing in the presence of an angel.

NYC Wellness Center

Jamie the secretary awaited the detectives at the front desk, looking as sour as ever. Even Alex's smug little smile didn't cheer her up. In fact, it only made her mood even worse.

"Is the doctor in?" Alex asked, sauntering up to the desk in her good mood. Jamie frowned, even scowled at Alex as she continued to smile.

"No, he's not," she answered, not even sparing Bobby a glance, she was so fixated on glaring at Alex. Bobby smiled amusedly, taking the opportunity to quickly take the few steps to the closed door of the doctor's office. Jamie saw his advances and quickly tried to go after him, but Alex stepped around the desk and blocked her way.

"When will he be back?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head smugly. Jamie put her clenched fists on her hips in annoyance.

"He didn't come in today, okay? And he can't go in there," Jamie protested, looking over Alex's head at the intruding detective. He turned the knob and pushed but the door didn't budge. Alex turned slightly to see what was happening, but quickly returned her gaze back to Jamie, her brows raised.

"Do you know where Dr. Berg is, Jamie?" Alex asked, staring intently into the woman's eyes, watching for any signs that the woman might know where the nutritionist doctor might be. Jamie shook her head truthfully, searching the woman detective's face. She watched as her lips curved into a dry smile.

"Well, then...do you know where the key to his office is?" Alex asked, the question accompanied by the dry smile. Jamie didn't find it humorous at all, she only frowned and nodded very reluctantly. She didn't budge from her spot in front of Alex though. Raising her brows, Alex folded her arms across her chest and stared right back at the woman, her eyes hard and cold. Her humor was gone, replaced by irritation and impatience.

"Would you get it for us? Unlock the door for my partner," Alex ordered, unfolding her arms as she stepped away and turned her attention to Bobby. "I'm going to have a looked at the wired gym equipment."

Bobby nodded, watching as his partner disappeared into the jungle of equipment and machines. He then glanced at the other woman in the room, seeing her distaste for Alex evident on her face. Jamie didn't like the woman detective at all; too pretty, smart, and obviously successful. But she was a cop, so Jamie grudgingly walked to the front desk, pulled out her purse and dug around in it until she found the jangling ring of metal. Without making eye contact with Bobby, Jamie unlocked the office door and stalked off to check on any clients that were attending sessions today. Bobby watched her leave with a shake of his head. He then opened the dark wood door to a room he didn't recognize at all.

'Shit,' he thought to himself, looking at the cleaned out desk, empty walls, and all disappeared evidence that anyone ever inhabited the office. Quickly, Bobby backed out of the room and headed for the gym section of the center, pulling out his phone on the way.

Alex walked slowly past machines and racks of equipment, but found only a few even remotely possible weapons, and the area was spotless. She avoided the eye contact of the few people exercising, and ignored the attention of the wannabe musclemen. With a shake of her head, Alex turned onto a new area of equipment. That's when she heard the familiar sound of Bobby's voice and she turned her head to see him hanging up on the phone. She furrowed her brows at his harried state. Something wasn't right.

"The office is cleared out," he reported, shaking his head. "I think he might have ran."

Alex frowned at the situation. This was ridiculous.

"Do you think he's at his home?" she asked, not even allowing herself to hope.

"I just sent some uniforms over there, but I don't think they'll find anything..." Bobby answered, shaking his head. Alex nodded in agreement, having been thinking that same thing yet hoping against it.

"We'll get a report out for him, and let's hope to God that he turns up," Alex grumbled, shaking her head and taking out her cellphone as they headed back towards the front doors.

 **A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter, guys. Longer ones are coming up. Anyway, tell me what you think! Who do you think is Thomas' killer?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I hope you guys are liking this. This was kind of a fun chapter. Thanks to my beta, kensi54382, for an awesome job. And thanks to all the reviewers, I love everyone's feedback and thoughts on this! Thanks for reading and please review!**

One Police Plaza

"So...we are at square one...again," Deakins sighed, his arms crossed at his chest. It had been back to the drawing board all day. They had reported the missing Dr. Berg, and had attempted finding any lead that could help them. Everyone was running on empty as the day dragged on with no possible way to make progress in their case.

Alex looked up from her laptop with a shake of her head and Bobby remained distant in thought. Without anything else to say, the Captain ambled away with his head bent in thought. Watching him leave, Alex sighed.

"Berg can't be our guy," Bobby mumbled to himself, catching Alex's attention. In frustration and irritation, her gaze snapped to him.

"What?" she asked, a little harsher than she had meant to. Bobby's eyes lifted to meet hers, his brows furrowed and a frown on his lips.

"We've been missing something..." Bobby trailed off, shaking his head in frustration. His eyes slowly dropped to his desk in a hard stare. "I just don't know what..."

"Perhaps a margarita or two will bring revelation," Alex said with a half-smile, starting to clean up her desk for the day. When Bobby didn't move or acknowledge her at all, Alex looked up at him with wide, questioning eyes, and she ceased her movements.

"Are you going to join me?" she asked, cocking her head slightly to the left. Bobby watched silently and distractedly as her short blonde hair seemed to flow with the tilt of her head, and the smooth, milky skin of her neck attracted his eyes.

"Bobby?" Alex asked, dissipating the hazy cloud his mind had wandered into. His gaze snapped to hers with a look of confusion, his brows furrowed.

"Huh?" he asked cluelessly, shaking himself mentally as he tried to recover from thought. Alex gave him a teasing look of exasperation as she rolled her eyes, a smile always evident on her full, pink lips.

"Alright. You especially need a drink. Come on, first round's on me," she said, standing from her seat with her things in hand. Bobby smiled, looking up at her as he stood. By the time he was standing, he was looking down at her, but nodding.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing his binder from his desk and walking towards their lockers and coat rack.

"So, where shall we go tonight, partner?" Alex asked as she took her coat from the rack.

"Bob's?" Bobby suggested, turning to help put her coat on. From behind, he could see her nodding, and as he let go of her coat, sheturned to face him again.

"Sounds good," she answered with a sweet smile that hit him harder than he ever let on. He loved that smile. With an answering smile of his own, Bobby shrugged on his own coat. Leaving the nearly empty squad room behind, the two walked to the elevators that took them to the parking garage. From there, they drove off into the dim light of the sun setting on the beautiful city of New York.

Bob's Bar

As Alex parked the SUV in front of the bar just on the border of Brooklyn, she turned off the ignition and unbuckled her seat belt. Looking over at Bobby with a smile, she opened her door and stepped out. As her heels hit the pavement, she found her eyes drawn again to Bobby, whom was standing near his open car door and untying his tie that had miraculously made it through the day. Walking around the front of the car, Alex met Bobby on the sidewalk, lingering closer to him than normal. Bobby smiled contently as he noticed this, and as he threw his tie into the car he stepped even closer to her. She looked cold. At least that's what he told himself when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. In the darkening street, Alex looked up at him with a smile of content. The shadows that played on her beautiful face made her seem even more mysterious to him. Bobby sighed, he was falling even more in love with his partner. As the two walked closely together towards the front door of the bar, Alex wrapped her arm around Bobby's waist, her hands beneath his coat for warmth. They knew it was wrong of them to allow themselves to be this close, but they didn't separate until they took their seats at the bar. The room was dim, but Bobby could still see the small smile on Alex's lips. Soft music played in the background, but he could still hear the beating of his heart, only beating for the woman next to him.

"Margarita and a Glenlivet Scotch please," she told the bartender, Bob. He smiled and nodded, leaving the two alone again. Silently, Bobby eyed Alex's small, lonely hand laying on the top of the bar in front of her. He desperately wished he could take it in his own larger hands to caress.

"I wish we could do this more often," Alex said softly, glancing down at her hand. "But with the job..."

Did she mean they could act like they had been, but because they were partners, they couldn't? Or did she mean she wished they had more time to go out, as friends? Whichever it was, Bobby still found himself nodding in agreement and understanding. The bartender then reappeared with two glasses, sliding the drinks in front of them.

"Thank you," Alex said with a smile, taking a sip of her margarita as Bobby took a drink of his scotch. Bob nodded and slowly moved away to his next customer.

"Alex..." Bobby started, trailing off as he set his glass down and strived to find the right words. When he looked up, he saw Alex looking up at him expectantly, a smile on her face.

"I like it when you call me Alex," she said with a soft laugh, knocking him dead with her bright smile. Bobby returned the grin, glancing down at his drink and nodding.

"Alex, I want...to make this a permanent thing," he said, looking up and into Alex's eyes. She had her brows furrowed in confusion.

"After every case...I want to take you for drinks, treat you to dinner, or something...a nice night between friends celebrating the closure of a case..."

Alex stared into his eyes, contemplating his words with a small smile on her lips.

"I'd like that," she said softly, nodding her head. The smile that Bobby gave when she answered melted her heart, and she felt the strong urge to just lean in and claim those smiling lips with hers. But she wouldn't because he was important to her, and so was their partnership. She may have loved him dearly, but not all men could commit, and she was scared that she would get hurt. She knew about Bobby's reputation: Love 'em and Leave 'em Goren. The first time that had happened to her, she had been hurt badly, and she didn't even love him. He was her husband, and she didn't even love him. But she loved Bobby...she just would never be able to tell him.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I gave you a very big hint as to the one thing that scares Alex Eames. What do you think of it? Please leave a review!**

 **~Love**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I understand how you guys feel about Joe, and I totally agree that Alex loved him on he show. As many of you mentioned, the episode Amends made that clear. However, in this story I kind of ruined that little utopia outlook on Eames' former marriage. It is just part of the story though, just fanfiction, so I hope you all will forgive me. It doesn't ruin the story does it? Haha I hope it doesn't. Anyway, I do understand where you guys are coming from. Hope you enjoy this anyway.**

 **Second, I'd like to thank my awesome beta, kensi54382, whom finds time in a busy schedule to beta these for me. What an awesome job!**

 **Lastly, enjoy! Please read and review! I absolutely love your feedback, and can't wait to hear what you have to say. Enjoy chapter 13!**

One Police Plaza

Bobby sat at his desk alone, a dazed look on his face. Any detective passing by could see the glazed-over brown eyes and the silly smile he wore while he thought of a certain little blonde. Last night had been amazing. Of course, nothing had happened but drinking a few, talking between friends, and a few extremely chaste touches that Bobby could still feel tingling on his skin. Now in the morning air in the Major Case squad room, he anxiously awaited his partner and her warm presence that he craved. Bobby sighed wistfully, his eyes falling on the doors she would arrive through. If only he could tell her how he felt. But he knew the job was important to her, as it was to him, and he couldn't quite read her. Sometimes he thought he could see the love in her eyes, but other times he was sure she would gladly boot him and his extremely eccentric, unorthodox ways out of the precinct building—clear from the 11th floor. And to make him guilty, he sometimes detected fear from her when he was near her. Sometimes he thought she could possibly love him, but then something would happen, he would botch it up, and that thought would soon be replaced with major doubt. His dark brows furrowed, Bobby sat in his desk chair on a completely different planet. His mind was light years away from Earth when Alex walked into the bullpen and up to their adjoined desks and put her things away. Even as she sat down across from him, Bobby didn't look up from staring dazedly at his desk.

"Hello?" she asked with a bright smile, leaning towards him into his line of vision. He didn't blink or even twitch a muscle. "Good morning, Bobby." Still no answer. "Bobb-bee...? Goren!"

At the firm tone she used, Bobby snapped back to Earth in surprise. A smile immediately replaced his look of shock when he saw Alex sitting across from him.

"Hey. Sorry, I was just...thinking," he said with a shrug. Alex smirked knowingly as she began setting up her desk for the day. She broke into a grin of happiness when she saw the coffee on her desk.

"I'm not complaining," Alex said as she picked up the cup, "but you don't have to do this every day."

Bobby smiled with a small shrug.

"I enjoy doing it for you."

"You enjoy getting me coffee?" she chuckled, taking a sip. Bobby nodded, his warm eyes never leaving hers. It was then that Alex's cellphone rang, and the moment was broken.

"Detective Eames," Alex answered on the second ring, her attention now on the caller. Bobby watched her as she listened; her brows raised and her eyes lit. The news must be good.

"Alright, thank you," Alex said, flipping her phone closed and hanging up as she stood from her seat. "They found Jason Berg in Erie, Pennsylvania. They're holding him there, so if you need to use the restroom, go now," Alex smirked, watching as Bobby stood up abruptly, smirking as he grabbed his binder.

"Let's go," he said excitedly, grabbing both of their coats from the rack. They had a very long drive ahead of them.

Erie Police Station

"Hello, Dr. Berg," Alex said dryly as she and Bobby entered the small interrogation room. She was in a pissy mood after such a long, exhausting drive. "Fancy meeting you here."

Jason Berg looked up at the two familiar detectives in embarrassment. He had to look away when they both sat down in front of him. Silently, they watched the man as he squirmed uncomfortably.

"Why are you here, Jason?" Bobby asked, squinting his eyes at the man. "Why are you running?"

Jason looked up at that in anger, staring hard at the large detective.

"Before you try pinning Tommy's murder on me, I was actually trying to get away from my loan," he spat. He was tired of cops after the past week.

"Your method of 'how to get away with not paying your loan' is sounding an awful lot like 'how to get away with murder'..." Alex deadpanned, making Jason's upset eyes fall on her as she subtly accused him.

"Yeah? Well, why would I even want Tommy dead? He was a friend!" Jason exclaimed, looking between the two detectives.

"And now that he's dead, you're responsible for paying all of the $60,000," Bobby added, nodding with Jason. Alex's head whipped to the left at Bobby, brows furrowed irritably.

"Exactly!" Jason said, nodding at Bobby in small relief. The detective understood him.

"Okay. Now," Bobby began, "do you use wires at your gym?"

Jason frowned, looking incredulously at the detective whom obviously didn't know which side he was on.

"I can't believe this! Any more questions can go through my lawyer. I want to go back to my cell," Jason grumbled, staring coldly at the tabletop. Alex glanced at the upset doctor before turning to Bobby. It looked like they were going to be here a little longer than expected. With a sigh, Bobby led the way to the door, holding it open for the uniforms to come in and Alex to go out.

"Will you call Deakins and debrief him? I'm going to find the man in charge here..." Alex said as they walked down the hall together. Bobby looked to his right at her, nodding and taking out his phone as they broke off from each other. As Alex left Bobby in the hall, she suddenly had the urge to go back. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she just liked his tall handsome self at her side. Besides, she had seen the looks the secretaries and female detectives were giving him.

While Alex found the sheriff in charge, Bobby debriefed Deakins of the situation. The Captain wasn't too happy about the delay, but he understood. The two detectives were to stay and talk to Jason and his lawyer. It appeared they were going to be there overnight, so Deakins advised Bobby to find a hotel in Erie.

The was what he was doing when Alex returned, her mood not the happiest it could be. Bobby offered her a smile as she neared him, making her mood visibly brighten.

"Alright, thank you," Bobby said, ending his call with the hotel. Alex crossed her arms across her chest as he slipped his phone back in his pocket.

"We can stay here for as long as we need," she reported, referring to her conversation with the sheriff. Bobby nodded, pursing his lips.

"It seems that may be another day..." he muttered. "I got us hotel rooms for the night though, so at least we'll be sort of comfortable here."

Alex nodded, sighing in exhaustion.

"Good thinking, Bobby. Now, how about dinner and a drink?" she asked, cracking a smile. Bobby looked down at her and let out a laugh, feeling the urge to wrap an arm around Alex's shoulders as they walked out of the station together.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry for such a loooooooong wait, guys. I have been out of town, but I really must love you guys because, though I didn't have Internet, I was writing a lot. I have this finished and the story that follows is already started. Oops! That was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess you guys should know that there will be a sequel!**

 **I would also like to thank my amazing beta, kensi54382! Amazing job! Also a big huge thanks to all of you guys who review! I love to read your thoughts on my story! And now I must apologize because I can't tell you if Alex and Bobby may or may not admit their love for each other in THIS story. You'll just have to read to find out!**

 **Anyway, on with the story! I hope you all enjoy this new installment!**

Root's Diner, Erie, Pennsylvania

The diner was nearly empty, obviously not the most popular, but Alex and Bobby hadn't eaten hardly all day and were unbelievably hungry. It was the first place they saw, and after Bobby inspected—and Alex rolled her eyes—he deemed it safe. It wasn't a 5-star restaurant, but it was clean and quaint.

As they entered the diner together, a man behind the counter lined with barstools looked up from washing the countertops. He had a badly fashioned moustache that made Alex smile, and his hairline was quickly receding to the top of his head. But all in all, he looked clean and amiable.

"What can I get for the two of you to drink?" he asked with a kind smile as they took seats at the bar, and he handed them each a menu.

"Two beers, please," Bobby answered, receiving a nod from the waiter as the man left to retrieve their drinks.

"So what else did Deakins have to say earlier?" Alex asked, opening her menu, but looking up at him instead. Bobby shrugged, recalling the brief conversation.

"He just wanted to know what was transpiring, and he told us to get a hotel room to wait for the lawyer to arrive in the morning," Bobby answered, looking to his right at her. She was smiling sweetly at him, just watching him as he spoke.

"Alright. Just wait for the paperwork we will have to do for this," Alex laughed wryly, shaking her head. Bobby laughed, nodding as he pictured the stack of paperwork that would await them at the end of the case.

"Here are your drinks," came the waiter's voice as two bottles slid up to them. "Are you ready to order?"

Alex and Bobby looked up in surprise. They hadn't even looked at the menu yet. The waiter smiled knowingly.

"I'll take that as a no. Take your time. My name's Dave, just call when you're ready."

Dave slowly ambled away to finish washing the countertops on the other end.

"Hmm..." Alex hummed to herself as she looked down at her menu.

"Hmm..." Bobby answered her, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I think I'll get..."

"Potato soup?" Bobby guessed, seeing the option in the soup section. Alex glanced over at him in surprise, and saw him gazing at her from behind dark lashes, his lips curving in a crooked smile.

"Yes..." she smiled, closing her menu. "Not exactly great with a beer, but I'm hungry and it's cold out."

Bobby chuckled, closing his menu as well.

"Not to mention it's one of your favorites," he added, placing his menu between them. With a grin directed towards him, Alex placed her menu on top of his.

"Yes...and you'll be getting a club sandwich," she smirked.

"Yes, I will. I like steak, but I don't think I trust it here. Besides this is healthier," Bobby answered with a laugh. Leaning in close, Alex smirked up at him.

"Not to mention it's one of your favorites," she added, raising her brows as she smiled up at him. Bobby looked down at her affectionately, shaking his head at her as he smiled.

"You sure are something, Eames," he chuckled, picking up his beer with his left hand and flagging down the waiter with his right.

"For your sake, I'm going to take that as a compliment," Alex snarked playfully, looking at him with her head cocked to the side and her brows raised. Bobby laughed, shaking his head at the grin plastered on her face.

"You should, because it was one."

"What can I get you folks?" Dave asked as he stopped in front of them, flipping his drying rag over his shoulder. Both detectives turned their attention to him, smiling politely.

As Dave listened to the orders, he watched the man and woman he was serving. He couldn't tell the nature of their relationship. They were certainly comfortable with each other, but they weren't all over one another. The way they looked at each other was too intense to be brotherly or sisterly. He also couldn't understand why two such finely dressed professionals would be eating dinner in this diner. Maybe it was a departmental relationship they were trying to keep hidden.

"Okay. Your food will be right out," Dave said as Bobby finished ordering, and with a smile he left to deliver the order to the kitchen. He left the two in silence, quietly drinking from their bottles.

"So..." Alex finally said, breaking the silence—a comfortable silence, mind you. "Did you hear that Mike Logan is transferring to Major Case?"

Bobby smiled at Alex's attempt to get him to talk comfortably. He wished she realized that he was comfortable talking about nearly anything with her, and he was becoming better about communicating with her.

"No, I didn't. I've had a couple drinks with him since the case we worked with him, and he's never mentioned it. Must have wanted it to be a surprise," Bobby said thoughtfully, a smile on his lips as he took a swig of his beer. Alex quirked a brow at him, smirking her signature smirk that was nearly always followed by a snarky comment.

"You go out? I had no idea," she teased him, her voice sarcastic. She sweetened her smirk into a smile to soften the blow, but Bobby just grinned and laughed.

"Hard to believe, I know. I believe you have changed me, Detective Eames," he chuckled, his eyes bright and twinkling. "I'm a different man than I was before you."

"Well, it's good to hear my work is paying off," Alex answered smoothly, a teasing grin on her beautiful lips. Bobby chuckled, shaking his head at her. He couldn't beat her at this; it was her game.

"Maybe you can give Logan a working over too?" he asked, mindlessly swirling the contents of his beer bottle. Alex nearly snorted when she heard that, and she laughed with a shake of her head.

"Logan?" she scoffed. "I'd kill him in a month of working with him. One case was hard enough..."

"I believe it," Bobby answered, nodding his head as he chuckled. With a sweet, amused smile, Alex glanced up at him from beneath dark lashes before returning her gaze to the label on her bottle, picking at it carelessly. The two were engulfed by silence, and they wordlessly enjoyed each other's presence while they drank their beers. From his right, Bobby heard a sigh and when he glanced over he saw Alex's eyes close, far too long to be a blink.

"You okay?" he asked softly, turning on his stool to face her. Alex looked up at him with raised brows and confused wide brown eyes.

"What? Yeah, I'm just tired, Bobby," she said, waving off his concern with a smile. "This case is...well...you get tired of running in circles after a while. It gets to be a pain in the ass."

Bobby smiled in understanding, momentarily distracted by the mention of her ass. He mentally shook himself. He felt the same way about the case; it was definitely going nowhere and they had no idea why. They knew that Thomas was a cocky performer, anyone could have a beef with him. Nearly everyone they had interviewed had something against Thomas.

"I know what you mean. But..." Bobby started, looking over at her with a smirk on his boyish face and a twinkle in his warm eyes. "We do have two comfortable beds to go to tonight...you'll get your beauty sleep tonight, I promise."

"Are you telling me you got us a decent hotel?" she teased, tapping his hand lightly with hers that rested dangerously close to his. It would be too easy to slip her hand into his.

"Hey, I figured if the department was paying..." he answered, joking with a smile and a shrug. Alex laughed sweetly, shaking her head. Bobby grinned; he couldn't help it. Her joy brought him his own happiness.

"And I'll wake up fully rested?" she asked with a quirked brow and a smirk. Bobby nodded, giving her his own smirk. "Scouts honor?" Alex asked, leaning towards him slightly.

"Scouts honor," Bobby repeated with a chuckle.

"Pinkie promise?" Alex asked with a full out grin, holding her pinkie out to him. Her teasing brought a laugh out of Bobby, and he wrapped his larger pinkie around hers.

"Pinkie promise."

"Eskimo kisses?" Alex asked, a devilish grin on her lips. Bobby could tell she wasn't serious about this one, or at least she didn't look entirely serious. Maybe it was the alcohol in her. He laughed anyway.

"It's not even real kissing, Eames. But I will promise that you will sleep comfortably tonight...even if I never was a scout..." Bobby smirked, watching her carefully as her eyes widened and she shook her head at him, smiling happily.

"You sure are something, Bobby," she laughed, her eyes twinkling at him. Bobby chuckled happily, smiling at the beautiful woman before him. Slowly, he lifted his beer to his grinning lips.

"Thank you."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks to the amazing kensi54382, the amazing beta, this chapter is ready to go. Now, it's time for another *Disclaimer*. I do not own CI franchise, nor the plot of Bones, though I wish I did. For those of you who may not have read Ch. 1 notes, this story is a tweaked version of the plot from a Bones episode. So I do not own the plot, just the fluff, added drama, and extra on the side.**

 **Also, I want to thank all the reviewers! Awesome feedback and keep it coming. One review by Guest caught my attention. They saw a video where Vincent said he would seriously consider doing a LOCI movie. And I about screamed when Guest reviewed that. Would I support that move? Heck yeah! I would sign a petition to Dick Wolf for that! Goren and Eames need a real send off where they are happy and good friends(maybe something more? Hehe.)**

 **Okay, now enough of my talk. Here's chapter 15. Read, review, and enjoy!**

Erie Police Station

Alex and Bobby walked into the station with coffee cups from their hotel in their hands. The station was just beginning to grow busy; officers were all filing in as the two New York detectives entered. They arrived in new clothes they had kept in their car, wearing long black coats over top. The female officers admired the tall, dark, and handsome detective in his Armani grey suit over his crisp white button up shirt and black tie. The male officers couldn't help but notice the slender little detective in her form fitting grey slacks and her light blue button up blouse beneath a navy sweater. The two visiting New York City detectives were hard to miss; everyone knew they were there. They were the most popular talk since they had arrived the day before.

Las Alex and Bobby passed the front desks with a nod and smiles at the officers and secretaries that greeted them, they passed by the break room where music played into the hallway. Alex glanced up in amusement, with a smirk on her face as the words 'sweet dreams are made of this...' drifted into the hall. Shaking his head, Bobby smirked down at her.

Finally, their destination loomed in front of them. Ahead, they could see the door to the sheriff's office. Once they reached the door, Alex knocked on the open door's frame. The bald man behind the desk looked up with raised brows, but a smile soon slipped onto his face. Standing to greet his visitors, the man's smile widened.

"Good morning, detectives," he boomed in his loud voice.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"I'm guessing you guys want to know when the lawyer will be here for your guy. Well, he's expected in the next hour," the sheriff said, putting his hands on his hips, over the belt of his uniform.

"Thank you, Sheriff Martin," Alex said, smiling politely. Martin nodded, moving around his desk to stand on front of it.

"Until then, you can wait in the break room if you'd like," he offered. Simultaneously, Alex and Bobby cringed as the thought of the music and other officers flitted through their minds.

"I think we will wait in the observation room, I that's alright," Alex said, glancing at Bobby and seeing his nod of agreement.

"Yeah, that's fine...perfect. Whatever you need, detectives."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Alex smiled politely, already moving towards the door with Bobby by her side.

"No problem. If this guy is your murderer, we will be very pleased to have helped your case," Martin responded, watching as the two detectives nodded and left the office.

"So we need to see of Jason knows Mr. Branson in any way. I have a feeling he may recognize the name. Perhaps from someone at his gym," Alex said as they walked back through the hallway into the small squad room. Bobby looked straight ahead in thought, slowly beginning to nod.

"Everyone but Sean Calabress goes to the gym. And everyone but Matthew had a solid alibi," Bobby said, running through the faces of this they had interviewed. Alex looked up with furrowed brows.

"I'm not sure Matthew is capable of doing something like this. Artists have to have a calm temper and a peaceful demeanor to create the kind of art he was into. But I suppose anyone could be a murderer..." Alex sighed, shaking her head.

"Thomas was impairing Matthew's ability to create his art," Bobby said with a nod.

"Hmm...and being a singer I'm sure he spent his time practicing and playing his guitar," Alex nodded. "And we heard the alarm clock going off. Those are thin walls."

"Yeah. We should turn our questioning towards Matthew. Jason seems to know quite a bit about his members, so let's see what he knows about Matthew and Mr. Branson," Bobby suggested, looking down at Alex. He didn't see the Erie officer stop in front of him. Luckily Alex did, and she grabbed him by the elbow of his coat sleeve and pulled him out of the trajectory that would have ended in a collision.

"Thanks," Bobby muttered, glancing at the officer to see if they had noticed. The officer was a woman, and she stared dreamy-eyed at him, no even aware she had almost been run over by the Goren Train. Bobby quickly turned around in embarrassment, stepping closer to Alex and leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"I can't wait to get out of this place," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. Alex turned to look at him as soon as he straightened to his full height again.

"I can't promise you it will be any better back home," she smiled, shaking her head at the look of confusion he gave her. "Don't you notice the women that trip over their own feet jus looking a you? I mean, Denise still has something for you. She is always complaining about how she was waiting for that second date with you. It's annoying really..."

Bobby listened carefully as Alex rambled on, her voice building in irritation. He noticed that the attention from the other women upset Alex, no matter how hard she tried to hide it day to day. He found it to be quite sweet, her protective side. Or at least that's what he thought it was.

"Yeah, well, there is only one woman that succeeds at gaining my attention," he said with a broad smile, glancing at her as they approached the observation room door. As they stopped in front of it, Alex looked up at him in confusion.

"Oh? What a lucky lady," she said in a reserved tone, looking away to avoid his gaze as she turned the knob on the door and entered the room. Bobby was left staring incredulously at the door his partner had disappeared behind. Alex had tried to sound indifferent, but knew she had only succeeded in coming off as a cold bitch. Her reaction confused Bobby. Just moments ago they had been talking comfortably together in affection, but just as he was about to drop a hint for her, she became cold and guarded. Maybe she didn't want his love...maybe she didn't want to be anything more than partners and friends...but were they even friends? What about last night? It was as if she had forgotten, and the magic had dissipated. This was one of those times he couldn't decipher her feelings for him. Just moments ago he could imagine her loving him, but now he felt as though she hated him or was revolted by his hint of affections. Deciding he didn't want to be alone in the room with her, Bobby went off in search for some coffee in the break room. His cup was almost out anyway.

Inside the observation room, Alex stood in front of the window with her arms folded and her lips drawn into a frown. She didn't like the waves of jealousy that had overcome her when Bobby mentioned his one special woman. They made her feel weak and pathetic. How could something like this affect her after she had worked so hard to ensure it wouldn't? She knew that the one woman that had succeeded to capture Bobby Goren would haunt her as long as she still loved Bobby, which she had no doubt would be forever. There are those you can be angry at and never see them again, but deep down you still love them dearly and a piece of you is missing when they aren't near you. Bobby was one of 'those.'

Alex's feelings were confusing to even herself, so when Bobby returned he didn't have a clue of how to act. He cautiously opened the door to the observation room with two cups of coffee strategically held with one hand. As he entered the room, he was surprised to see the vulnerable state of his partner. Her face was drawn into a sorrowful frown of regret, and her eyes were watery and filled with worry.

"I...um...brought more coffee," he said softly, holding up the cups. He watched as her face became guarded again, and she forced a smile.

"Thanks, Bobby," she said in as normal of a voice as she could muster. Bobby offered her a smile as he handed her cup to her, their fingers brushing. Bobby ignored the sparks he felt, and instead focused on his partner in concern. Something was wrong, but she was scared to to him what it was...maybe it was him. Alex, seeing the questioning gaze and analyzing look in his eyes, offered a smile.

"I'm fine, Bobby," she insisted, shaking her head. Bobby sighed, giving her a pointed look. It never worked with her when he answered like that, so why should it work when she did it?

"No, you're not. I'm worried about you...Alex," Bobby said softly, but he gained Alex's undivided attention. He watched as she opened her mouth to speak, the war within herself visible in her brown eyes. But then Alex's gaze left him, and her attention focused on something else entirely.

"He's here," she reported, looking through the window at Jason and the lawyer. Bobby turned to look through the window.

"Let's go," he said, looking at his partner of nearly five years. With a sigh, he realized they would have to resolve this later.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long guys! School started and volleyball started, just been so busy, but I promise the next chapter will be up soon! I know this is short but the chapter will be longer. Enjoy!**

Erie Police Station, Interrogation

"Dr. Berg, what has it been? A full 12 hours since we've seen you last?" Alex greeted in feigned cheerfulness, her irritation shining through her facade. Jason Berg looked up guardedly, his lawyer sitting stoic beside him.

"Now that your lawyer is here, why don't we start from the beginning?" Bobby asked, leaning forward in his chair beside Alex. "Start by telling us why we are all in Pennsylvania..."

"I quit my job, and decided to move. So what?" Jason asked with a shrug and something that resembled a sneer.

"A Highway Patrol officer pulled you over yesterday morning. You had to be driving all night, non stop..." Alex observed, her brows raised at Jason as he sat stone-faced in his seat.

"Is that a crime, Detective?" the lawyer asked, folding his arms and giving her an admonishing and belittling look. Alex smiled sweetly, her eyes challenging his with their ever present snark and fierceness.

"Maybe," she quipped, her brown eyes slipping into a glare full of distaste. The lawyer frowned deeply.

"My client has done nothing wrong as far as you are concerned."

Irritably, the detectives turned their eyes from the lawyer and returned their attention to Jason.

"We know about the small business loan, and—"

"Yes, I know," Jason interrupted Bobby with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "We also determined that I'm the last person that would want Thomas dead. Now that he's gone, I'm responsible for the whole nut," Jason sighed, lowering his head. "60 grand! I couldn't see another way out of it!"

"So you ran from the bank, thinking you could hide. You didn't expect to be on the wanted list for murder, did you?" Alex deadpanned, her expression neutral but her voice menacing all the same.

"Detective," the lawyer warned.

"Thomas ruined it for you, so you ruined him," Bobby continued.

"Detective! Jason, don't speak," the lawyer instructed before turning back to the two detectives. "Where's the evidence? If you're so sure it was Jason, you better produce some evidence."

Bobby and Alex glanced at each other in mutual agreement. This man was a pain in the ass.

"Do you know Ted Branson?" Bobby asked suddenly, gaining odd looks from both the lawyer and doctor at the abrupt subject change. It brought a small smile to Alex's lips, and Bobby just sat, watching Jason's reaction carefully. Slowly, Jason's expression drifted from shock to one of thought. He began to shake his head.

"Wh-what has that to do anyth—" the lawyer began.

"If you want to be cleared of this, just answer the question," Bobby interrupted the angry lawyer, ignoring him as well as he spoke directly to Jason.

"The name sounds familiar..." Jason started, thinking harder on the name. Alex and Bobby shared a look. After years of working at this, they were beyond wishing for the knowledge to come back to Jason, but they were allowed just a sliver of hope.

"He's the husband of the mayor's sister..." Bobby started, hoping to jog his memory. "We think he may be related to one of your clients, but away from the office we can't research this ourselves..." he continued with a small lie. If he really wanted, he could call someone at 1PP.

"And again, what evidence do you have of this?" the lawyer began again, gaining a quick and assertive glare from Alex that shut him up for the moment.

"Branson...Branson..." Jason said aloud, tapping his fingers against his chin. Just when Alex looked to Bobby, thinking it was hopeless, Jason snapped his fingers. "Branson! The sleaze-ball the married Matt's mom!"

Both detectives sat straighter in their seats, leaning forward on the edge, ready to jump up and leave with the confirmed information.

"Matthew Adamson?" Alex asked, already feeling the answer in her gut. Jason Berg nodded.

"Yeah. I feel bad for Matt, hasn't seen his mom much since she remarried. Was a big trouble for him when he first came to me," Jason said, glancing at his lawyer, whom sat still and watching the detectives. Alex glanced at his watchful eyes, and stood up before he could open his mouth to say anything. Bobby stood as well, towering over her.

"We thank you for your time," Alex started, gathering their things as the men across from her stood. "We are done here. As you said before, you are not being charged of anything," Alex smirked at the lawyer across from her, "as far as we are concerned."

With that, the lawyer led Jason out of the room without another word. And Alex and Bobby were left to an empty room.

"Matthew didn't mention anything about his step dad being affiliated with the case. He would have had to know," Alex said, shaking her head as she looked at Bobby. Bobby nodded, his arms folded across his broad chest.

"Normally, when someone withholds information, they have something to hide," he muttered, Alex giving a nod of agreement.

"Is it the classic protective son act? A case of 'you're not my dad' or 'don't marry my mom'?" Alex asked, her brows raised. What did Thomas have to do with the mayor's brother-in-law? It must have just been the perfect opportunity.

"Yeah, just fueled by uncontrolled anger and an opportunity," Bobby voiced her thoughts. "Matthew couldn't concentrate on his art with a rambunctious neighbor next door. Uh...most of those paintings in his apartment were...um, four or five years old. He hasn't sold in years..." Bobby trailed off, studying the grey tabletop.

"He blames Thomas for it..." Alex continued, nodding her head. Her brows furrowed then. "And...he kills him." She sighed with a shake of her head. "We've seen where people have killed for less..."

Bobby nodded his head in agreement, but his brows knitted together in frustration and confusion.

"It still doesn't all fit...we need to see Matthew again, and see a judge about a warrant..."


End file.
